Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince
by chocoholicbookworm
Summary: Pretty much about Harry's sixth year, and the people who help him defeat Voldemort. Not romance, but there are hints of RWHG, and a bit of HPGW, though it ends up as HPOC. Chap15 up!
1. Dreamless Sleep

Chapter 1 – Dreamless Sleep

What seemed like the oddest summer day was drawing to a close. What made this summer day so peculiar? Well, after what seemed like decades of heat and drought, it rained. It was as if the rain decided to start pouring. The change in weather was as spontaneous as a woman's mood swings. Due to this change in weather, the residents of Privet Drive stayed indoors, for they feared getting knocked down by the strong winds and rains.

The streets were not visible to those indoors. They of course, assumed it was deserted. In their opinion, anyone who had the guts, or stupidity, rather, to be out in this weather should be hanged. There was, however, a person outside, a teenage boy.

He had jet-black hair and emerald-green eyes hidden behind a pair of round glasses. His clothes were worn out and baggy, but the bagginess of his clothes weren't obvious because they were drenched and clung onto his body. He was walking on the pavement, careful not to step on the mud, not wanting to cause tracks on the kitchen floor. He was on his way to number four.

And why, you may ask, was Harry Potter outside in the pouring rain? He was walking off the feelings, trying to cope with all the things that had happened to him.

Two months ago, his godfather, the person he had loved the most, died because (in his opinion) of his stupidity. He spent each day like this; he would walk around Little Whinging, thinking of everything that had happened, then he would return to his uncle and aunt's home, only to be ignored, but he was completely fine with that. In fact, ignoring him was the best treatment they had given him in his fifteen years under their care.

He walked for nearly half an hour longer because tomorrow was Harry's sixteenth birthday, and the Order was to take him to Grimmauld Place, and he was to stay there for the rest of the summer. He did not know how he was going to cope, living in his dead godfather's house – his dead godfather who wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for his ignorance. He mentally shook himself. He did not want to feel those feelings again. He was already beginning to feel better.

He was now in front of number four, Privet Drive. He sighed and entered the house. His uncle was watching the news and his aunt was setting the table for supper. None of them seemed to notice him; he was grateful that he was careful to step on the pavement, for if he had left mud tracks on the floor, it would mean cleaning it under his horse-faced aunt Petunia's glare. He went upstairs and changed into a pair of pajamas. He had no intention of eating, all he wanted was sleep. His brain was tired of all the thinking, of all the self-pity, of all the self-loathing. His body was equally tired, for he had walked for about five hours in the pouring rain. He got into bed and almost instantly fell asleep. It was the most pleasurable feeling, for he for once had dreamless sleep.

Dreamless sleep.


	2. Meet Sophie

Chapter 2 – Meet Sophie

The next day, Harry was picked up by Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks and Alastor "Mad-eye" Moody. They were taking the Knight Bus to Grimmauld Place. At this moment, Harry was very much like Mad-eye's surname: Moody. He was very quiet, and this was unusual, seeing as these people were a few of Harry's favorite people. But they knew that Harry was going through and emotional state so they, on their part, left him alone, not forcing him to talk to them.

"It's Grimmauld Place next, Ern," Stan Shunpike, the conductor, called out to Ernie Prang, the driver. When Harry heard this, he felt emotions surge through him. He was excited, anxious, depressed, annoyed and tense. He was about to go where Sirius grew up and _live_ there for the rest of the summer.

He didn't want to go to a place where everything reminded him of Sirius. But then, his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, along with the other Weasleys and the rest of the Order, were going to be there to cheer him up. He felt a bit better when he thought of this, but still felt an unsettling sensation at the pit of his stomach when He, Tonks, Lupin and Moody got down from the bus and made their way to number twelve.

When he entered, he was greeted by Mrs. Weasley, who hugged him tightly. Ron followed and clapped his back. Hermione and Ginny gave him a hug each. Once everyone was done, they all shouted Happy Birthday, bearing gifts. He smiled and felt better. He didn't think of Sirius anymore.

"Hey. How was your summer?" asked Ron. He was smiling, but Harry could tell that he was concerned because of what had happened last term.

"It was alright. The Dursleys ignored me the entire time, and trust me, that was the best thing they've done to me ever," said Harry grinning.

"So…. Have you been, er, thinking much about, er," Hermione started timidly. Harry knew perfectly that she was talking about what had happened last term. Harry shrugged. Something was on his mind though: Why was Hermione the one who was insensitive and stuttering while Ron was the indirect one. Usually, Ron was insensitive and Hermione would roll her eyes at him. But this time, it seemed that the roles were reversed. Ron, however, did not wear the same expression of disgust that Hermione usually wore when he was being insensitive. The expression in Ron's eyes was tender, not exactly the same as Hagrid's misty expression when talking about Madame Maxime or Norbert, but it was affectionate nevertheless, and Harry wondered why he regarded her with such an expression.

All these tiny details Harry chose to ignore, for his brain felt overwhelmed with all the things he was thinking of, not only at that moment, but the entire summer long.

Before he got the chance to reply to what Hermione had said, he felt a gnarled hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Moody looking at him, both the oversized, electric-blue eye and the normal green one fixed upon him. "The Order wishes to speak to Harry," he growled, then looked at the other two. "Alone."

Harry got up and followed Moody, slightly confused. He entered the study to find most of the Order there.

"Harry Potter, meet Sophie Volkova."


	3. Hogwarts Oddball

Chapter 3 – Hogwarts Oddball

In between Tonks and Moody was a girl, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old, that he did not notice. She was seated, but somehow, Harry knew that she was more or less his height, and she was pole-thin. She had very white porcelain skin – one would think that she was either of Chinese descent or part-Veela – and it made a startling contrast with her jet-black hair that was wavy and fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were almond-shaped and dark brown – almost black – partially hidden behind bangs, and under a pair of black eyebrows. She also had an indistinguishable expression in her eyes. They didn't have the same twinkle in Dumbledore's, nor did they have the same manic glint in Snape's. She had a mixture of two contradicting expressions; one was submissiveness, the other, defiance. Her aura was also contradicting; it was a like a fusion of the same warmth he felt whenever with Dumbledore, and the same cold he felt when he would hear the voice of Voldemort. When he thought about this, he felt an odd rush of emotions. He looked at the girl's eyes and felt her presence, and, for a reason he could not understand, knew that this girl was hurting. He somehow knew that she was going through incomprehensible pain. It was as if he felt it too. He felt something he could not understand. One thing he did realize, though, was that this girl was beautiful. Not pretty, like Cho or Parvati or Lavender, but beautiful.

"Sophie is your guard Harry," he heard Tonks say. "She will also be teaching you Occlumency this summer. She's a superb Legilimens. She's in your year and house in Hogwarts."

Harry was surprised when he heard this. He had never seen the girl in Hogwarts.

"Er, is she new?" he asked, then reddened, knowing that he sounded a tad bit stupid, not to mention tactless.

He saw the corners of the girl's mouth twitch slightly, he took that as a smile, and she averted her eyes. "I'm not new," she said, then she fell silent once more.

Mad-eye's magical eye looked as though it was attempting to read her expression, but failed. "Well," he growled, "I hope that you, Ron and Hermione can make her feel welcome. She's supposed to be on holiday, but she came here just for you –"

"Not that I mind, of course," Sophie said quickly. He looked at her and saw her dark eyes were gazing at his green ones. They stared at each other for a moment; Harry was the first to break the stare. He averted his eyes and instead looked at the table. The Order exchanged looks that Harry couldn't read. He was, at this point, getting quite irritated, for he knew practically all the people here, yet their actuation, he felt, was like that of a total stranger. Sophie sensed this, however, and stood next to Harry.

"Well, I think I can perhaps give Harry a gist of what's happening, and maybe we can make progress before the day ends," she said, a tad bit too brightly for her appearance and expression.

There were murmurs and nods when she said this, and one by one, everyone left the study.

"Hey…er, how come I never see you around Hogwarts?" Harry asked, trying to start a conversation with Sophie.

Sophie again gave Harry the same wry smile she had given him a moment ago. "Well, for one thing, I don't take Care of Magical Creatures or Divination, so I don't see you in those extra classes and I never recite in our other classes."

"Oh. Why?"

"It's hard to explain. I won't be able to explain it without sounding arrogant. Anyway, that's not important."

"Okay. Er, how come I never see you at the Great Hall for meals?"

"I don't eat in the Great Hall. You won't be able to understand. Maybe some other time when it's more convenient for me, I'll tell you more about myself."

"Er, alright. Erm, why don't we go to Hermione and Ron? Maybe we'll be able to talk about stuff with them."

"That sounds lovely. I'll just," she said, then waved her wand a couple of times, conjuring a sketchpad and a charcoal pencil, "get these and let's get a move on, shall we?"

Sophie and Harry met up with Ron and Hermione. Harry introduced her to Ron. Hermione knew who she was, having shared a dormitory with her since the first year. They introduced her to Ginny, and now, everyone knew everyone, so they began to talk and tell stories. Sophie, Harry noticed, did not seem to be paying attention to them at all. Instead, she busied herself over her sketchpad, drawing things she permitted no one to see. But nobody seemed to mind, so they carried on with their conversation.

About an hour later, Mrs. Weasley called them out to help with dinner. Hermione and Ginny helped cook, while Ron and Harry helped set the table. However, when Sophie did not offer to help, Mrs. Weasley did not bother forcing her, and just gave her a pitying look. Only Harry noticed this, and he guessed that something rather unfortunate had happened to her.

Everyone sat in the kitchen, eating in silence. This was quite unusual, since usually, everyone ate while chattering happily. Harry then knew that he was not the only one who missed Sirius' presence. Everyone wasn't eating much, Sophie wasn't even eating at all. She was still sketching on her sketchpad and for some odd reason, it irritated Harry. She was very engrossed in what she was doing that she seemed oblivious to the fact that the rest of the people felt quite gloomy. In fact, it even seemed like she didn't care at all. She was just sketching on and on and on.

Dinner ended quite early, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Sophie made their way to their rooms. Sophie got a room to herself for some reasons they were very much unaware of. Harry and Ron were in their pajamas when they began to talk about Sophie.

"She's kinda weird, isn't she?" said Ron, lying down on his bed.

"Yeah. All she did was sketch on her sketchpad and look at us."

"She had this weird way of looking at Hermione. She looked like she had something against her."

"Well, maybe there's something she dislikes about her. I 'spect it's 'cause she's shared a dorm with Hermione for long, maybe she's got something against her."

"Well, maybe, yeah. But That look was so weird. It was as though she was telling her off because she did something wrong. It's the kind of look that McGonagall gives us whenever we're late."

"I dunno man. I wasn't really paying attention."

"I wonder why we've never seen her before."

"She told me that she hasn't had a meal in the Great Hall during her entire stay at Hogwarts. I don't think that's normal."

"Hermione told me that she'd never leave the dormitory unless she'd go to the loo. She's pretty scary, actually. Why is she here anyway?"

"I dunno. They said she's supposed to be my guard and tech me Occlumency."

When Ron had heard this, he sat up. "You mean," he started, "that she'll be hanging around us for the entire year?"

Harry who hadn't thought of this, felt an unsettling feeling. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"Well, it could be interesting. She hasn't told us much about herself. Maybe she's a much more interesting person than we think she is."

"I tried to ask her a couple of questions about her. She answered them, but stopped me from asking her some more and said that 'maybe some other time when it's more convenient for her, she'll tell me more about herself.'"

"Weird," Ron said, lying down on his bed. "Well, 'night mate."

"'Night."


	4. Portraits

**A/N: Alright, this is my first author's note… Thanks to those who reviewed, I love you guys so darn much… Uhmmmm…If I don't post that often, I hope you'll bear with me… I'm only thirteen and I often go through writer's block. But I promise I'll try my best to finish the story… And to those who are asking if Sophie is Russian, she is part Russian. I purposely looked for a Russian surname. I'm not Russian, but I think that having a British or American character is too typical, 'cause most of the stories have British or American OCs… So… Alrightie then…On with the story**

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Chapter 4 – Portraits

Harry couldn't sleep that night. He'd close his eyes for a few minutes, then open them, thinking that it's already morning. He decided to go to the living room. Perhaps after a few minutes, he'd feel sleepy. When he got down, he saw a figure seated on the couch. It was Sophie. He did not know what to do. He wanted to go back; perhaps she wanted to be on her own, and he would be disturbing her. For some odd reason, however, he couldn't go back. He simply stood, rooted to the ground.

"Come and sit down, Harry," he heard her say. _How did she know it was me?_ he thought. She didn't turn to see who was there, and he doubted that she would recognize him, for it was very dark. Harry went to the couch and sat next to her, the couch's musty odor filling his nose.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked her.

"I knew you'd be down. That's why I am, too. I could tell that you couldn't sleep."

"How'd you know?"

Sophie didn't answer his question. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards yet again, and she turned to face him, giving him her wry smile. Harry did not know how to respond to this, so he looked at the empty fireplace. He thought of all those times when Sirius' head was in the fireplace. Suddenly, he felt a lump in his throat.

"Listen," Sophie began quietly, "I know that you're sick of people telling you that it's not your fault, and that I have absolutely no right to tell you how to feel, but I believe that Sirius Black had a good heart, and it's best that he died saving someone. If I were to choose a way to go, I'd die saving the life of someone I love."

Harry did not know how to react with what she just told him. Half of him wanted to embrace her for those comforting words, yet half of him was highly irritated. She couldn't have known that. She did not know Sirius.

"You told me you wanted to know more about me. Would you want to know things about me? It might help you get your mind off of things," Sophie told him, her dark eyes gazing into his. Harry averted his eyes and nodded. It might help if he knew more about this mysterious girl. He closed his eyes, listening to her voice, which was high, but brought warmth. It was not squeaky like Hermione's, not shrieking like Cho's, and most certainly not artificial like Umbridge's.

"I'm fifteen, turning sixteen two days from now. My dad was an Auror from Russia. His dad was Russian and his mum was part Chinese, part Spanish and part British. My mum has lived in Britain her entire life, but she was only adopted by a British couple. She's got only very little British blood. She's mostly French and Italian. She's muggleborn, and it really shocked her parents, both biological and adoptive, when they discovered that she was a witch. She went to Hogwarts and was in Gryffindor. She was also an Auror and she met my dad in a convention in Germany." She stopped and cleared her throat. Harry closed his eyes and allowed her voice to drown the thoughts in his head.

"We lived in Berlin from the time you made Voldemort disappear," Harry was surprised to hear her say the name, "until I was about seven, then we lived in Venice until I was about nine. Mum had my little brother when I was three or four, we were still living in Berlin. We lived in Wales for a very short time, I turned ten when we left. We then lived in Muggle London. I remember being in the Leaky Cauldron when you were there for the first time. I went to Hogwarts, but I skipped fourth year, because I took up art in Germany. I spent the entire year living like a Muggle, which is why I had to get braces. I couldn't have horrible teeth one day, then perfectly straight ones the next." Harry noticed that she did have braces. What was rather interesting was that she didn't look nerdy wearing them.

"I love to draw. Which reminds me, I forgot something for you. It's in my room, come on, let's get it." She stood immediately and dragged Harry along with her. They went upstairs, then entered a small room.

It was messy, and painted a very dark shade of blue. Scattered on the floor were many sketchpads and there were more on her desks, accompanied by many different pencils and erasers. On a shelf were different coloring media; oil pastels of various colors, different kinds of paint – acrylic, oil, water-based, poster paints, etc. – and colored pencils of different sorts. While Sophie was rummaging for a picture, he looked at the one on her desk.

It was a portrait of two people kissing. What made it interesting was it was so full of life that it seemed to be moving. There was no color on it, except for brown on the girl's hair, but somehow, he felt that these people looked oddly familiar. "A little privacy, please!" yelled the boy in the picture, and Harry jumped. He didn't know that the portrait really was moving. Sophie laughed. It was a pleasant laugh. It wasn't like the giggles of the other girls in his school.

"I didn't know that they could move," said Harry, reddening a bit.

"It's alright, but don't look at the others, please. That was just a comfort drawing, so it's not that serious, but I'd prefer if others didn't see my sketches. Anyway, here's what I want to give you. I know it's not the same having him physically present, but I swear it'll make you feel better. The Order wanted it hung where Mrs. Black's portrait was before, but I decided to give it to you." She handed him a package that felt oddly like a picture frame. It was wrapped in brown paper. Harry tore off the paper and felt a emotions rush through him.

It was a portrait of Sirius. He was, at the moment, asleep, and Harry had the mad desire to wake him. The portrait looked so much like Sirius that he wondered if Sophie had really known him. "Sophia, who is this?" he heard and jumped.

On the wall was a portrait of two people in robes. One was a man with the same porcelain skin as Sophie. He had very light blonde hair that contrasted with his very Oriental eyes. He also had the same nose as Sophie. He was dressed in a navy blue robe. Next to him was a beautiful lady. She was olive-skinned and had the same wavy dark hair that Sophie did. She also had the same eyes and gaze as Sophie. She wore a silver robe. "Sophia, who is this?" asked the woman.

"Mum, Dad, this is Harry Potter. Harry, these are my mum and dad. They were killed by the Death Eaters that weren't caught in Paris a month ago."


	5. Occlumency and Intelligent People

**A/N: Hi. Thanks for all the great reviews…I hope to hear more! No, Sophie is not a distant relative of Harry's, and, no, she is not a ghost. I will be revealing more about Sophie as she reveals more about herself to Harry. This chapter answers why Harry hasn't seen her and why Harry hasn't heard much about her. Sophie will also be teaching him Occlumency.**

**Look, I'm really sorry for the extremely short chapters. Please bear with me. I'm only thirteen and very, very prone to writer's block. I've been playing these scenes in my mind for some time, but I never realized how hard it is to put everything down in words. **

**Thanks again for all the reviews.**

**Kristie**

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Chapter 5 – Occlumency and Intelligent People

Harry didn't know what to do or say. He knew why he Sophie had that hurt expression in her eyes. He now knew why Mrs. Weasley didn't bother making her work. She was an orphan just like him, but he knew that she was hurting even more. He knew the feeling of growing up without parents, but he didn't have enough moments with his parents to miss them. But Sophie had her parents for fifteen years and suddenly, they're gone. He now had to fight off the mad urge to embrace her.

"Where's your brother, Sophie?" asked her father.

"The Order's coming to get him a fortnight from now."

"Well, take care of him, alright?" said Sophie's mother.

"I will."

Harry noticed that Sophie talked to her parents as if they were not gone, as if she wasn't mourning. He felt so much for her. He was so overwhelmed with the emotions, and the look in her eyes intensified them. Her eyes didn't hold sadness or grief, neither were there tears in them, but she had this look of longing. Harry didn't know how, but he felt like she was telling him how much she wanted to embrace her parents, to touch them once again, to have them to hold.

"How are your O.W.L.s?" asked Sophie's mother.

"I got an O in everything except for History of magic. I got an E there."

"Alright, well…"

Harry didn't bother listening to their conversation. He saw a sheaf of parchment on Sophie's desk. It was from Hogwarts. They were her O.W.L. results. He realized that he had not received his yet. He looked at her results.

Transfiguration-O

Charms-O

Defense Against the Dark Arts-O

Potions-O

Arithmancy-O

Study of Ancient Runes-O

Herbology-O

Muggle Studies-O

Astronomy-O

History of Magic-E

This girl was good! She had grades to rival Hermione's. He wondered why he never heard of her before when she was so good. He suddenly wanted to receive his results. He looked at Sophie. She was bidding her parents goodnight.

"Come, Harry. Let's go back down," Sophie told him. They went back down to the living room. She lit the room and they both sat on the couch again, the musty smell filling their nostrils.

"Thanks for the portrait of Sirius, Sophie. It means a lot to me," Harry said.

"It's no problem. I wanted to do something for you."

"Er – Sophie?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you tell me about your parents earlier?"

Sophie smiled her little wry smile again. "So that you'd figure it out yourself. I want us to be friends, Harry. We can't be friends if we just feed information about each other. The information that I gave you a while ago was completely irrelevant. My parents' death was something that was somehow important for you to find out. I was just trying to teach you that there are boundaries when it comes to finding out about a person, especially if you've known that person for only a day." She gave him a big smile.

Harry didn't know what to say in response. Instead, he asked, "So, how come you've never recited in class?"

"I'll sound very conceited if I tell you that."

"I don't mind."

"Alright, then. It's because I don't need to answer those questions just to prove that I know what the teachers are asking me. I'm used to knowing all these. I don't have the need to prove myself. Unlike that Hermione Granger."

Harry felt a stab of annoyance. Hermione was the best student in their year. "Hermione's a very intelligent witch." When he said this, Sophie just laughed.

"Intelligent? Clever, yes. Witty, perhaps. But she's too normal to be intelligent."

"What do you mean she's too normal?"

"Well, look at Professor Dumbledore. He's very intelligent. Although he is perhaps the kindest soul you'll ever meet, he's not at all normal. Another good example is Voldemort. He's very, very intelligent. I mean, if you can go from extremely good-looking to frightening, manage to get a bunch of otherwise decent people to follow you around and have the ability to preserve yourself in a diary, you're damn intelligent. However, if you're calling him normal, the rest of us would look like gods."

"So you're saying that Hermione has to go nuts before she's intelligent?"

"Well, she doesn't have to go nuts, but think of it this way, do you reckon Hermione would get the same grades she does if she had my study habits? If her hand wasn't the first one in the air? If she never passed a single piece of homework, except for Potions, since the second year?"

"No."

"Well, then, Mr. Potter, what does this prove?"

"Er – "

"There is a big difference between a highly intelligent person and a diligent student who has to try to prove to the whole faculty that she knows every God damn thing they ask!"

"Look, Hermione's one of my best friends!" Harry said hotly. "She's the cleverest witch I've ever met! Even Lupin said so! Don't talk about her as if she was –"

"I did not say that she's a bad person. All I'm saying is that I'm sick of all the people thinking that she's the most intelligent being they've come face to face with, and I'm also sick of her walking around like a human encyclopedia, giving out information when we don't ask for it and forcing herself to prove to the entire world that she knows everything. If you're really intelligent, you wouldn't need to prove it, because you'd be so used to it."

Harry didn't say anything. He was trying to calm himself down.

"Look, Harry," Sophie said gently. "I don't loathe Hermione, and I don't mean to insult her. I just want you to see things how they really are. I know she's one of your closest friends, and I'm really sorry if what I said affected you. I'm just really frustrated. Imagine trying to do one of Snape's essays, not asking for her help. She then sits next to you, breathes down your neck and looks for things to correct over your shoulder. When she finds nothing wrong, she asks permission to read and correct your essay. When you refuse, she insists, saying it's for your own good. When you still say no, she storms off. I'm sick of the way she treats me like someone inferior."

"Is she really that bad?"

"Horrible. That's why I had a really good feeling when I heard she was horrible at Divination. It gave me something to smile about for weeks.

"Is that why you don't eat in the Great Hall?"

Sophie smiled. "No, she's got nothing to do with that?"

"Then why do you stay in your dorm the entire time?"

"I'm usually busy sketching," she said simply.

"How do you eat?" asked Harry, incredulous.

"I transfigure some of the stuff in the room into food. In fact, tomorrow's breakfast will be the first meal I didn't need to conjure or transfigure myself in six years."

There was a very pregnant pause.

"Harry, I can teach you Occlumency now. Do you want to learn?"

"Alright. I never got the grasp of it. Snape never really taught me how to do it," Harry said.

Sophie took one of his hands in hers. Harry looked at their hands. "I'm just warming your hand. You're very cold. Now, tell me, what is your favorite book?"

"Er – Quidditch Lovers." (A/N: I invented this, sorry if it sounds stupid)

"Favorite chapter?"

"Famous Seekers and Famous Seeker Techniques."

"Now hand me your wand." Harry reluctantly gave Sophie his wand with his free hand. "I want you to mentally recite the chapter over and over again." She squeezed his hand before letting it go. "I will attempt to break into your mind, but I will not tell you when. It won't matter as long as you concentrate on that chapter. Recite it over and over again. It's like you're meditating. Forget that I'm not here. Forget everything else in the world. Just remember the book."

Harry closed his eyes and recited the chapter over and over again. He was halfway through the third repetition of the chapter when Sophie said "_Legilimens_." Harry tried to fight it, but flashes of his memories were coming to him, though they weren't as vivid as when Snape did it. "That's it, Harry. Just remember the chapter," he heard Sophie's voice through all these flashes. Harry concentrated on the chapter and slowly, he felt his mind close. He opened his eyes. He felt triumphant, but very, very tired.

"That was really good, Harry. We'll have to try some more. Are you up to it?"

"Er, perhaps tomorrow. I'm really tired. Did you see anything?"

"Nothing much. I just saw you snog Cho Chang, but besides that, I didn't see anything." She smiled teasingly at Harry who reddened. "What happened to you guys anyway?"

"Nothing, really. She just got so emotional about Cedric's death and I got sick of her crying all the time," he muttered, embarrassed.

"Well, I'll get to you tomorrow, then. It's getting awfully late, and I think that you should get your rest." She accompanied him to his and Ron's room.

"Er, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Harry," she told him. She gave him an embrace. It seemed to calm his thoughts. "Thanks for your company."

Harry got into the room and took his glasses off. He laid on his bed and felt sleep slowly, but surely engulfing him. He closed his eyes and slept soundly.


	6. A Hermione and Sophie Showdown

Chapter 6 – A Hermione and Sophie Showdown

When Harry woke up the next day, Ron was putting on his socks. "'Morning," said Harry.

"'Morning. Have you thought much about that Sophie girl?"

"Yeah. I talked to here last night. She's not so bad. She's actually nice, Ron."

"What's she like?"

"She has a very complicated way of thinking."

"Like Hermione?"

When Ron said this, Harry laughed. He remembered everything Sophie said about Hermione.

"If you tell her she thinks like Hermione, she'll be very insulted."

"Huh?"

"She thinks Hermione has some sort of superiority complex or something. You should've listened to her rant and rave, Ron. She's something when she's mad."

"Hermione's the best student in our year! She doesn't have superiority complex! It's not her fault she looks stupid compared to her!"

"Ron, mate, Hermione looks stupid compared to her. I saw her O.W.L.s. She got an O in everything except for History of Magic. She got an E."

Ron's jaw dropped. "I haven't received mine, but I saw Hermione's! She got an O in everything except for Study of Ancient Runes! She got an E – I think that's when she mistranslated a rune or something. If Sophie's as good a student as Hermione, how come we never heard of her?"

"She never recited in class her entire life. She said that she feels she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone by answering the questions. She never passed a single piece of homework except for Potions since the second year and she spends meals in her room, sketching. Speaking of sketching, look at what she gave me."

Harry showed Ron the portrait of Sirius. Sirius was still snoring. "Blimey, is that -?"

"Yep."

"Sirius?" Ron whispered.

Sirius woke. He yawned loudly, and Harry and Ron exchanged grins. It was as if Sirius wasn't gone.

"Harry? Ron?" Sirius said.

"Sirius!" exclaimed the two together.

"I'm a portrait!" Sirius said, laughing his laugh like a bark. Harry and Ron laughed along.

"You guys in Grimmauld Place? Is my mother's portrait there? Where's Kreacher?"

"Yes, we're in Grimmauld Place," said Ron.

"No, we managed to take down your mum's portrait, I think they wanted yours to replace it," said Harry.

"And Kreacher died," Ron said.

"How?" asked Harry and Sirius together.

"Well, when we got here he was all drunk and high on Butterbeer and stuff. He snuffed it a week later. Mum blames his death on too much to drink, but I know better. Fred poisoned his Butterbeer with Doxy venom."

All three of them laughed. Just then, Mrs. Weasley entered.

"Come on boys, breakfast."

"Ooooh! Breakfast! Can I have some?" said Sirius.

Mrs. Weasley's jaw dropped. "Is that? No it can't be – Sirius?"

"Hey Molly, I'm a portrait!"

Mrs. Weasley, though she never got along with Sirius when he was alive, looked as though she wanted to embrace the portrait.

"Oh Sirius! Everyone's been so miserable without you!"

"Really? I didn't know I was so missed!"

Mrs. Weasley snorted. "You haven't changed," she said, quite fondly. "Anyway, breakfast. Please bring Sirius along, it might lighten up the mood."

Harry and Ron got dressed and went down, bringing the portrait of Sirius along with them. In the kitchen were Lupin and Tonks, chatting, Mad-eye, Mr. Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt talking about Ministry goings-on, Mundungus, Fred and George roaring with laughter, Hermione and Ginny giggling, and Sophie sketching on her sketchpad.

"HEY EVERYBODY! I'M A PORTRAIT!" Sirius shouted and everyone turned to the source of the sound.

"Sirius!"

Everyone took turns to talk to Sirius. The mood was so happy that Harry didn't mind not having enough time to talk to Sirius. In fact, he took this time to eat as much as he could. The only person who wasn't talking to Sirius was Sophie. She was sketching and munching on toast.

"Hey, Sophie," Harry said.

"Hey. I can tell you like that thing I gave you."

Harry grinned. "Yeah. Everybody else does as well."

"I know. Everyone left us alone here."

They both laughed.

"Thanks a lot for Sirius' portrait. It really means a lot."

"It's really no problem. I missed Sirius a lot, so, yeah."

"Did you know him?"

"My mum did, she was an old friend of his. She was also a friend of your mum, I think. They went out in their fourth year, but remained just friends after that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think your parents were in my parents' wedding, along with Lupin and Sirius. I never got to see him so much, but I've offered to help him out in the fourth year when he was on the run. I remember I was in Muggle school then, and he was looking for rats, I offered him a place to stay, but he said he couldn't risk getting caught. I gave him a roast chicken for him to eat."

Harry laughed. "We used to nick food from the kitchens to give to him. He's eat them so hungrily, I remember him telling us that he had to live off rats."

"Eurgh! That's gross!"

"I know."

"Hey guys," said Hermione. She got back from the crowd greeting Sirius. "Who gave you the portrait, Harry?"

"I did," Sophie said in a very indifferent tone.

"I see. It's really nice, Sophie."

"Yeah, I suppose it is."

"Have you received your O.W.L.s yet Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Nah. Not that I'm worried, though."

"You should be!" Hermione said, outraged. "Harry, your O.W.L.s are perhaps the most import – "

"Oh sod it, Hermione. Fred and George got only three O.W.L.s each and they're freaking rich," Sophie said irritably.

"But they have absolutely no ambition."

"_At least_," Sophie began, her voice quivering, "at least they don't act as though they're better than everyone else."

"What're you getting at?"

"If you're so smart, why don't you figure it out yourself? You're such a know-it-all, Hermione. I'm sick of you giving out help when I don't need it, I'm sick of others acting like you're the most God damn intelligent creature they've come face to face with, and most of all, I'm sick of you trying to prove yourself so much!"

"It's not my fault that you don't allow others see how great you are!"

"I don't need the praise of other people to know how great I am!"

"You are so conceited!"

"Me? Conceited? Who insists on correcting other people's work when they don't ask for it? Who insists on scanning other people's work to look for something to correct? Who pretends to blush every time a teacher compliments her? Who has her hand in the air every time a question is asked? Who is the most insufferable know-it-all that stepped into Hogwarts? I know it's not me, but I wonder who that person is?"

"Well, who refuses to be corrected?"

"I cannot be corrected if there is nothing to correct! Hermione, you insist on looking for flaws in other people so that you can correct them. You despised me from day one because you've met your match. I know I can't be perfect, Hermione, but why do you think _you_ are?"

"I know I'm not! Here's a question: How come Harry and Ron can be corrected without them storming off and/or causing a row? Who's the one acting like she's perfect?"

"Why do you insist on treating everyone like Harry and Ron? Because, unless you haven't noticed, Harry and Ron actually _ask_ for your help!"

Hermione scowled, stormed out and went upstairs. Sophie didn't say anything and began to busy herself over her sketchpad again. Just then Ron sat down next to Harry.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Just a Hermione vs. Sophie showdown"

"Who won?"

"I dunno. They've both got mad issues."

"Where's Hermione?"

"She stormed off."

"Ah. I thought she would."

Harry and Ron began to dig in for breakfast. Sophie got up, and made her way upstairs. Before she went up, she whispered something in Harry's ear.

"I'll teach you a bit more Occlumency after lunch."

Harry nodded and she went up, nearly bumping into Hermione who was on her way down. They gave each other dagger looks before going up/down the stairs.

"Ooooh! Breakfast! Can you give me some?" Sirius' portrait was now next to him. Harry laughed as Hermione sat next to Ron, still glaring.

"It's not funny," she seethed.

"I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at Sirius. Don't get yourself too worked up about this thing with Sophie. She's really nice, you know."

"I've shared a dormitory with her for five years. I should know."

Harry never saw Hermione like this. Usually, she was the one good with feelings and stuff, but now it seemed that the roles were reversed. Sophie's presence somehow changed a lot of things. While Ron tried to calm Hermione down (trust me, he's failing), Harry began to dig in, thinking of how a certain dark-haired girl changed many things.

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**A/N: Really sorry for the short, meaningless chapter. I just thought that a year in the life of Harry Potter would be totally odd without an irrelevant fight here and there. I also have a horrible case of (dun dun dun) writer's block. So there. I promise to post a better, more relevant chapter IF I get more reviews… **

**Kristie **


	7. Dream a Dream

**A/N: Hi… Mucho thanks to those who reviewed… I LOVE YOU GUYS SO FRICKIN' MUCH!!!**

**I am still going through the dreaded (gasp) writer's block so this chapter will basically be useless… It's sort of going to give you the impression that Sophie and Harry are going to get together… Please don't think of that just now, they're not together… Well, not yet anyway…**

**The song is Dream a Dream, I really have no idea who deserves the credit (if you know, kindly correct my ignorance, it's been getting out of hand for a couple of years now), 'cause I just found it in my Aunt's Charlotte Church Christmas album (I have no idea why it's in a Christmas album) but I thought the lyrics were perfect for the chapter…**

**I really hate myself for giving you guys this horrible chapter; it feels so rushed and stuff, I don't know how you guys will forgive me.**

**To all those who have been reviewing, thanks lots, and I hope you continue to read.**

**I am, yet again, very sorry that my chapters are short, but I'm really grateful that you guys have the patience to bear with a thirteen-year-old girl struggling with writer's block.**

**Kristie**

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Chapter 7 – Dream a Dream

The sun had already set and the sky was already turning dark from a pinkish-orange color. Sophie and Harry practiced Occlumency the entire day. At first, they had tried to do it with Ron and Hermione, but Hermione would sniffle loudly, and to stop Sophie from jabbing her wand up Hermione's nose, Ron took Hermione for a walk Merlin-knows-where.

The main problem was that it wasn't likely that Harry would have enough time to meditate about Seeker techniques when faced with Voldemort, and forcing him to meditate for the rest of his life was humanly impossible. Well, it could be possible, if you try to get Percy to meditate about his job, but I did say humanly possible. All Harry knew was that since Snape wasn't teaching him this time, learning Occlumency was his top priority, seeing as Sirius died because he didn't learn it.

Sophie could tell that Harry still thought of his godfather. She had revealed to him that while she didn't see any more memories that belonged to him, she would feel bursts of emotion.

"So, you feel everything I feel?" asked Harry after ages of practicing.

"I feel an intensified version of what you feel. For some odd reason, these emotions intensify. I'll have to ask Professor Dumbledore."

"Why isn't he teaching me? Not that I mind, you're an excellent teacher," he added hastily.

"Well, seeing as Voldemort's back, he's very, very busy. He's rarely here. Harry, I've been able to sense resentment in you. I sense it more strongly now that you talk about the headmaster. Why do you feel like this towards him, Harry?"

Harry didn't answer. He felt himself getting cold for some reason. "You're getting cold," Sophie said, taking one of his hands in hers again, warming it up. Harry felt all the resentment he had towards Dumbledore gently ebb away. He did not know how and he most certainly did not know why, but he felt that every touch Sophie gave him made him lose all strong emotion. If only she was there to hold his hand when Snape was _trying_ to teach him Occlumency. Perhaps Voldemort wouldn't have lured him to the Department of Mysteries.

"Harry," Sophie said, "I know what you're thinking, and I can sense it. I know you're sick of everyone telling you, but it really isn't your fault. I can't make you feel how I want you to feel, and I can't make you move on like I am, but there's nothing you can do. All this moping won't do you any good. What Snape was teaching you wasn't entirely wrong. In fact, he was completely right. You have to let go of your emotions, Harry. The reason why you couldn't was that he gave you a lot of negative emotions, so you couldn't just let your emotions go."

"How do you cope with it?"

"With what?"

"With loss?"

Sophie smiled, but it wasn't the wry smile or the proud grin that was on her face. It was perhaps the saddest little smile Harry that had ever seen his entire life. He felt like he was being torn inside and out. He felt a lump in his throat. Had he been ten years younger, he would've sobbed uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, forget it, I shouldn't've – "

"No, it's alright, Harry. I should've prepared myself for this. I've never been able to cope with it. I just let go. I couldn't cope, so I let go." Harry saw a single tear slide down her cheek. It was perhaps the saddest thing he ever saw. He knew that she was stopping herself from crying. Seeing a single tear from her was worse than seeing all the tears that streamed uncontrollably down Cho Chang's face. He reached out and did what felt the most natural to do. He embraced her.

He engulfed her in a tight embrace. He did not feel tears soak his sleeve, neither did he hear sobs. What he felt were all the emotions running through her veins. What he heard was every single beat of her heart. He felt how strong she was, he knew that he himself couldn't cope with all these emotions. When he let go, her eyes weren't red, no tearstains on her face. _She didn't allow herself to cry,_ he thought. He looked into her dark eyes and knew that she didn't want him to see her cry, to see her so hurt. Neither of them stated it, not because they didn't know, but because it was so obvious that it was better left unsaid.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Harry allowed her to lean on him, knowing that she was tired. He closed his eyes. When he looked at the horizon, he saw that there was a single star on the sky. _Please stop her pain,_ he wished. He closed his eyes again. He was very tired. He then heard a quivering voice sing.

_When the night is still,_

_And the sea is calm,_

_Lonely shadow, you call upon me._

_Lay by my side,_

_Fear not tonight,_

_Lonely shadow, you'll find a new light_

Harry listened to Sophie sing. Her voice was light, pleasant. It was, like the rest of her, beautiful.

_Dream a dream_

_And see through angels' eyes_

_A place where we can fly away_

He was now thinking of letting go of all his self-blame. To fly away and find peace from all that was bothering him. As he listened to Sophie's voice, he pushed out all the thoughts that bothered him: Sirius' death, Ron and Hermione's odd reversal of roles, the prophecy, Voldemort.

_Ride with me upon a shining star,_

_Above the moonlit sky_

_We will find Elysium._

Elysium. Heaven. Paradise. Bliss. He opened his eyes and gazed at the moonlit sky, thinking if there really was somewhere in those skies where he could run away from it all, where he could just be another person and not the Boy Who Lived.

_Hear the nightingale_

_Sing a lullaby,_

_Lonely shadow, you'll find a new light._

Harry closed his eyes and listened some more to the beautiful voice that was Sophie's. It was as if she was the new light that he, a lonely shadow, now found.

_Dawn will be kind,_

_All will be bright,_

_Lonely shadow, rise from the darkness._

Could he really rise from the darkness of his emotions? Could Sophie, his newfound light, help him rise from the darkness? She seemed to be doing this; every touch of hers drove his anger away, the sound of her voice stopped him from all his emotional outbursts, her mere presence soothed him.

_Dream a dream_

_And see through angels' eyes _

_A place where we can fly away_

_Ride with me upon a shining star,_

_Above the moonlit sky_

_We will find Elysium._

At that last word, Sophie's voice quavered. Harry pulled her closer to him and felt the tears finally gushing out. He looked at her and wanted to help her as much as she helped him; to be the light in her darkness, to drive away all the sadness in her life. Elysium. Heaven. Paradise. Bliss. He wished to find for her all these things.

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**A/N: Oh yeah… when you post your reviews, I'd like your opinion: Do you think I should a.) Get Sophie and Harry together, b.) Get them together, but not now 'cause it's too soon, or c.) Don't even think of putting them together. **

**Thanks!**

**Kristie**


	8. The Arrival of Two Brothers

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed. I'm glad that none of you are plotting to kill me because of my seven mediocre chapters. **

**I'm sorry to those who voted against Harry and Sophie getting together, but they eventually will need to get together. Not now, but eventually. It won't be awkward with the trio, seeing as there's still Ron and Hermione. Don't ask, just stay tuned, it's part of my plot. For the Harry/Ginny shippers, I promise to start a fic on them sometime soon. I'm also a H/G shipper, but what I'm writing now isn't exactly romance. It's not meant to be a fluff fic. The Harry/Sophie thing will be very "on the side" if you know what I mean. Their feelings will have some weird Voldy effect. I can't say anything else, I might spoil it. **

**Thanks again for bearing with me. I've warned you guys before, I'm going through writer's block, so it's really hard. **

**This chappie's about Sophie's little brother who arrives two weeks earlier than expected on Sophie's birthday. He's about to start going to Hogwarts. He receives his letter, along with Harry and Ron's O.W.L. results and the new booklists. Oh and someone else will be arriving. Someone's _brother_, the brother you haven't heard of in a while. **

**I'm going back to school tomorrow days from now, so you might be hearing less from me. Don't worry, I'll try to post everyday. To make up for it, I'll make this chapter longer and I'll post another one after this. I promise I'll try to come often, if I'm not busy.**

**Thanks,**

**Kristie**

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Chapter 8 – The Arrival of Two Brothers

When Harry opened his eyes, he was lying down on the couch. He did not know how he got there. The last thing he remembered was Sophie's crying. He must've fallen asleep on the steps of Grimmauld Place with her. It was really dark. On one of the armchairs was a figure. It was making an odd, scratching noise. When he focused on it, he realized that it was Sophie, and the scratching noise was her pencil on the sketchpad.

"You're finally awake," she said.

"Whatymizit?" Harry mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"What time is it?"

"Close to midnight. You really crashed," she said, smiling wryly. It was relieving to see her smile again.

"Well, I'm not tired, I'm kinda hungry."

Sophie's smile widened. She flicked her wand and a roast chicken leg appeared on the plate with corn and mashed potatoes on the side, gravy and all. She handed it to Harry.

"Here you go," she said.

Harry ate it hungrily. "How did you learn to conjure food?"

"I taught myself Conjuring spells when I was in the fourth year."

When Sophie said this, Harry nearly choked on the corn he was eating. She was _worse_ than Hermione.

"What?!"

"Well, I was bored living in the Muggle world, so I decided to teach myself so that I wouldn't get too left behind once I got back. When I found out that none of you knew how, I didn't tell anyone."

"Why do you keep holding yourself back?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, no one knows how smart and incredibly talented you are. You don't share anything with anyone, and you waste most of your time and energy pretending that you're average and typical."

"That's who I desire to be."

"Eh?"

"I don't want to stand out," she said. "I don't want to be this talented and intelligent creature that everyone adores. I don't want to be the teachers' favorite, have half the people idolizing me, the other half jealous of me."

"You don't want to be yourself?" asked Harry, incredulous.

"Who does? Are you happy being the Boy Who Lived? Don't you sometimes wish that you were an unmarked man? Are you proud that you're being forced to learn Occlumency so that nobody else dies on your expense?"

"But that's different!"

"It is different, but it's just as real. Everyone wants to be somebody else. Hermione wants to be the most intelligent being anyone has seen, when she's probably as smart as Parvati Patil. Ron is at one point happy to be a prefect, but he's not against rule breaking. Ginny is known as the girl with many boyfriends, but the truth is that she's really a demure person at heart. I'm a Legilimens, Harry, I know all these things. I can break into their minds, as well as yours. Your desire not to be the Boy Who Lived is different from my desire not to be the most intelligent, talented student in Hogwarts, but that doesn't mean that what I want is less real than what you want. Ginny, Hermione, Ron and I have managed to project who we want to be, the mere illusion, the persons everyone else thinks we are. Unfortunately, you can't do that. Refusing to be you would mean the end of Wizardkind."

"But that's exactly my point! The person I don't want to be can't be changed, meaning that I would really want to desire being someone else. All of you can live normally without changing yourselves, but I'll have to either kill or be killed. I don't enjoy that burden. I'm sixteen, for Pete's sake!"

"True, but what I'm trying to say is that human nature is human nature. People will always want something else. Others want more, others want less, but it comes down to this: Very few people have learned to truly accept and like whom they truly are. I'm not ready to accept who I am yet, I doubt that anyone our age is."

Harry smiled and understood. He continued to eat what Sophie had conjured for him. He looked at her and saw her in a very different light. She wasn't ordinary. She was a girl who was almost too intelligent for comfort, trying her best to hold herself back, and constantly failing at it. She still stood out. He knew he shouldn't say anything; this was one of the moments when they knew perfectly about things, but didn't say anything, not because neither of them knew, but because these things would be better left unsaid. He looked at the clock, it was already one in the morning. He remembered what Sophie had told him that night she sat with him on the very couch he was seated on, the "irrelevant" information about herself.

"_I'm fifteen, turning sixteen two days from now…"_

It was already her birthday. He looked up at her and she didn't seem to notice that it was already her birthday. She actually didn't seem to care. Harry smiled at her once he swallowed his mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Happy birthday, Sophie."

Sophie looked bewildered when he said this, then she looked at the clock. When she saw that it was already one in the morning, she seemed to realize that, yes, it was her birthday.

"Gosh, it already _is_ my birthday! Thanks, Harry. You're the first person to greet me."

"No problem, Soph," he said. She laughed at the name he gave her. "I mean, it's the least I can do. You've been really good to me. You taught me Occlumency, gave me a portrait of Sirius, helped me move on and cope. You've got this way of lessening the intensity of my emotions when I'm really close to blowing up. You teach me stuff about life and stuff. You've made me _understand_ the feelings that Hermione's been telling me about. I'm the one who's supposed to be thanking you."

Sophie smiled. "Thanks, Harry. You've become a part of me, too."

Harry then realized precisely what he was trying to tell her. He was trying to tell her how much she made an impact in his life. How she changed things. She didn't make things better or worse, but she made things different, and somehow, he knew that he was going to like this change. He then admired her for saying what he knew she knew was going on his head. He admired her for saying it fearlessly and straightforward, but she didn't sound like those heroines in the Muggle soap operas. She said things that meant so much very nonchalantly that they had a lighter feeling. He, of course, didn't say this. He didn't need too, for he knew that she knew.

Instead he said, "Yeah. You too."

When he finished what he was eating, they both went up in silence. Sophie brought Harry to his door.

"Er – goodnight," Harry said awkwardly. "And happy birthday – again."

Sophie laughed. "Thanks – again. Goodnight."

Harry got into bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

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When Harry woke, Ron was almost dressed. Harry was still sleepy, but woke due to the fact that Sirius was shouting "WAKEY WAKEY LITTLE HARRY!!!" Harry got dressed and they both went down. Everyone was at the table and for once, Sophie wasn't drawing. Everyone (including Sirius' portrait) was singing "Happy Birthday". Ron, Harry, Ginny, and, to their surprise, Hermione joined everyone in singing. When everyone was done, Harry saw Hermione go near Sophie. He and Ron went near them.

"Sophie, I'm sorry for being such a know-it-all. I'll try to be better next time," Hermione said timidly.

"It's alright. I'm sorry for being mean. I'd like us to get along, seeing as we'll most probably be spending the year together."

"We are?"

"Yeah. I'm Harry's guard. I'll have to be with him the entire year. With the instructions Dumbledore gave me, I'm only this" she brought her forefinger and thumb so close together "close from being surgically attached to him."

They all laughed when she said this. Harry felt relieved. At least he wouldn't have a problem once they all got back to Hogwarts.

"I also feel sorry for you, you don't hang out with other girls," Sophie joked.

The sound of everyone's laughter made Harry feel good. It helped that there was no more tension in between Hermione and Sophie.

After hearing everyone happy, listening to Sirius' jokes, Harry felt so good that everything seemed better. Food tasted better, house looked cleaner, smell of flowers sweeter, that kind of thing. He ate more than the usual for breakfast, and had a broad grin on his face when everyone was done and just listening to Sirius. It was as if his godfather was still alive, just lost in a portrait. He was now telling everyone stories about his days with the Marauders, Lily and Sophie's mother, Serena. Lupin was also telling the story, and Harry was glad to see him with such a broad grin. He felt that after him, Lupin was the most affected by Sirius' death, seeing as they were friends since Merlin-knows-when.

Sophie looked very happy, she wasn't her usual mysterious self. She was laughing and reacted when Sirius would tell her what antics her mother used to play.

"…Serena and Lily may have been the best of friends, but they couldn't've been any more different. Serena was like a female James. She loved pranking everyone. She was the only one who was able to get all of us. I remember…"

After about half an hour, somebody entered Grimmauld Place. It was Professor Dumbledore. He was with a very small boy. He was olive-skinned with very dark hair. His eyes were oddly familiar…

They looked just like Sophie's.

Sophie ran to the little boy and embraced him. "Alexander! I wasn't expecting you for another week!"

Everyone greeted Dumbledore and Alexander. Alexander was Sophie's eleven-year-old brother. He was about to start Hogwarts. He had in his hand the letter that was given to all first-years. He showed this to his sister with pride. He also had Harry and Ron's O.W.L. results and everyone's booklists. Harry and Ron didn't open their results yet, but they told each other that they would open them together, after lunch. Once everyone had settled down, Professor Dumbledore spoke.

"I did not bring only Alexander. Somebody wanted to come and see his family and ask for their forgiveness. I hope that his family will be able to forgive him." He made a gesture to allow someone who was waiting outside to enter the house. There was a big gasp that came from everyone.

It was Percy.

His usually fixed hair seemed to be wilting, and his usually proud face looked humbled. He looked depressed. His usually fixed robes were disheveled. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out so he closed it.

Mr. Weasley, who was drinking water before Dumbledore announced this slammed his glass on the table, making a loud _thud_. Mrs. Weasley made an indistinguishable noise. It sounded like shrieking, snorting, sniffling, yelping and yelling at the same time. The twins, however, stood and roared with rage.

"WHAT?!"

"YOU LEAVE US FOR A YEAR, CALL HARRY AND DUMBLEDORE LIARS AND FOOLS, INSULT DAD, MAKE MUM GRIEVE FOR LIKE, FOREVER, SEND BACK YOUR CHRISTMAS JUMPER, DON'T EVEN VISIT DAD WHEN HE GETS BITTEN BY A MASSIVE SNAKE, TOTALLY TURN YOUR GODDAMN BACK AT US, AND NOW, NOW YOU ASK FOR FORGIVENESS?!"

Percy looked frightened when Fred and George roared at him like this. Everyone looked scared. Ginny and Ron looked at each other with frightened eyes. Hermione clutched her face, leaving very deep nail marks on her face. Alexander clung onto his elder sister, whose eyes were wide. Lupin was clutching onto the armrests of his chair while Sirius' portrait remained silent. It was clear that nobody there ever saw Fred and George react that way. Harry never knew that the twins felt like this towards Percy. He knew that, like the rest of the Weasleys, they felt resentment towards Percy, but an outburst like this was unexpected. Mr. Weasley broke the very uncomfortable silence.

"Fred, George, sit down. Percy, come in. Let's talk."

Fred and George looked disgusted as they reluctantly sat down and watched a frightened Percy Weasley enter the house. Percy looked nervous and frightened. He tried opening his mouth once more, but no sound came.

"P-P-Percy, l-let's talk, dear." Mrs. Weasley said, trying to stop herself from sobbing. Her face was very white, and she looked at her third son with a hurt look in her eyes. The look in her eyes was so hurt that Ginny and Hermione began to cry while Sophie clutched unto the sleeve of Harry's shirt for support. When Percy opened his mouth for the third time, sound finally came out.

"My Parents… Mother, Father… Mum, Dad… Fred, George," he said the twins' name softly. His voice became stronger when he continued to speak. "Harry, Ron, Ginny… Ginny, stop crying… I'm so, so sorry." The twins made to stand up and start yelling themselves hoarse again, but Mr. Weasley raised his hand warningly.

"I thought… I thought the Ministry was right. I-I thought that what I was doing was right. I wanted everyone to see what I thought was right. But most of all," he turned to his parents, "all I wanted was to make you proud, and I thought I did this when I got a high position in the Ministry."

Mrs. Weasley began to break down. She was sobbing uncontrollably, and Mr. Weasley began to pat her head. When he saw his parents in this state, the expression in Percy's eyes softened even more. He looked as though he wanted to put his arms around his parents, but stood rooted to the floor. When he continued to speak, his voice cracked.

"L-Lucius… He p-put me under the Imperius curse for so long… ever since Halloween… I've… I've wanted to go back since… for… ages. I-I should've fought it. He didn't realize the curse wore off that day Y-You-Know-Who was in the Ministry… An hour before he was there, Lucius tried to get me to join the Death Eaters. And when I refused… he… he t-tortured me w-with… Cruciatus…" Percy seemed to breaking down. He began shivering, as though recalling the pain of the Cruciatus Curse. When what Percy just said registered in Mrs. Weasley's mind, she ran to him and embraced him. Harry looked at Percy and realized that, despite what Percy told Ron about him, Percy deserved to be forgiven. Harry looked at Ron. He was becoming very, very pale. Ginny was sniffling while Hermione was dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief. Fred and George didn't look enraged, but Harry could tell that they weren't that ready to forgive Percy yet. Dumbledore, however, had a tender look in his eyes and somehow, Harry knew that things would be alright with the Weasleys. It wouldn't happen overnight, but slowly, Percy was going to earn the trust, forgiveness and acceptance of the other Weasleys.

Mrs. Weasley let go of her son, but she was still crying. Percy turned to his father. "Father, the Minister is asking – that is, if you're interested – if you'd like to take over Dolores Umbridge's post."

"I thought that he was going to give it to you," Mr. Weasley said.

"I refused last minute, because I told the Minister that someone else deserved it. I told him that that someone is you."

Mr. Weasley looked at his third son with a look in his eyes that said it all. He was _proud_ of Percy, despite all the things that he did and said to him. Even if Percy said that the reason why they never had any money was because of Mr. Weasley's attitude, he knew that his son was worthy of forgiveness. Mr. Weasley embraced Percy, and Harry knew that Percy was finally forgiven.

"Well," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling, "I'd better get going. I'm still looking for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Remus, are you sure you aren't up to it?"

Harry looked at Lupin. He knew that everyone else wanted him as teacher. Harry had every fiber of him hoping that Lupin would take the job. It didn't matter that he was a werewolf…

"Maybe I'll consider it. If you can't find anyone else I'll take the job. I need it, but I don't want to think about the parents of the students who don't want a werewolf teaching their children."

"I'll send you an owl if there's no one we can get." After Dumbledore said this, he Apparated. Everyone remained silent. No one felt like speaking after the entire incident.

"Well, why don't we have lunch? I'll cook, seeing as it's my birthday, so I'd like to choose the food… If you want, Sirius, I'll sketch food on your portrait, so you can join us in eating," said Sophie, breaking the silence.

"No, Sophie dear, I'll do it," Mrs. Weasley said, getting up, but Sophie refused.

"It's alright, Mrs. Weasley. I'd like to do it for once."

Sophie took her wand out and waved it. In a flash, the wooden table was enlarged like one of the tables in the Great Hall. The plates, silverware and goblets turned to gold. On the table were lots of food that made Harry's mouth water. There was roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, steak, a roast pig, potatoes of all sorts: roast, boiled, baked, mashed and french-fried, peas, carrots and corn. Sophie then conjured a pencil and began to sketch all these food Sirius' portrait. Sirius, who looked very, very hungry, stepped aside as she drew. She then conjured oil paints. It was quite a sight to see them suspended in the air while she painted. When she was done, she said the two words that somehow brought everyone together.

"Tuck in!"

When everyone sat at the table to eat lunch, they all began to talk again. It was as if nothing happened. Percy and his father began to talk about Ministry goings-on, and everyone seemed relieved that there was no shouting. The conversations became more interesting as Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, Mundungus, McGonagall and Snape joined them for lunch. Snape looked at the portrait with loathing, but even Severus Snape could break the mood.

"I heard you're teaching Potter Occlumency. How is he?"

"Oh, he's fine, Professor Snape. He's learning pretty quick. I'm quite unable to see his memories."

"What technique did you use?"

"The meditation technique."

"Won't he have to learn the hard way after that?"

"He'll have a better start if he does this."

"What does he meditate on?"

"Quidditch."

"Typical. Just like his good-for-nothing father."

"I heard that Snivellus," Sirius said in a singsong voice. Snape made a sound of disgust and loathing before continuing with his meal. Harry smiled at his plate. The portrait Sirius was really great.

When everything was cleared up, Harry and Ron went up to their room and took a look at their O.W.L. results. They agreed that Harry would read his aloud, then Ron.

"Transfiguration, O" Harry looked incredulous when he read this "Charms, O; Defense Against the Dark Arts, O; Astronomy, A; Care of Magical Creatures, O; Herbology, E; History of Magic, P; Potions" Harry had a shocked look when he said this "O; Divination, T."

"Wicked! Let's read mine, then. Transfiguration, O; Charms, O; Defense Against the Dark Arts, O; Astronomy, A; Care of Magical Creatures, E; Herbology, E; History of Magic, P; Potions, O; Divination, T."

"Cool! We'll be together in all out N.E.W.T. classes!"

"Yeah… I thought Fred and George were only joking about the T's, though."

"Yeah, well, if T's didn't exist before, I suppose they had to make a new letter for our Divination results!"

They both laughed. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sophie and Hermione were the ones knocking.

"We're going to Diagon Alley to get all our new stuff," said Sophie. "Would you guys like to come?"

"Alright," said Ron. He had Harry folded their O.W.L. results and placed them on the dresser. They went downstairs and prepared to go to Diagon Alley.

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**A/N: Okay, I'm really sorry if that was a total waste, but I'm still going through writer's block. I hope you got to appreciate it, and… yeah… that's pretty much it. **

**Please review!! **


	9. A Prophecy

**A/N: Hey guys… sorry if I didn't post this chapter yesterday, I was just really, really busy.**

**In this chapter, Harry notices something odd about Alexander and discovers a prophecy made about Sophie's little brother.**

**I _still_ have writers' block; this is just a useless filler, if you're interested…**

**Thanks for reading, by the way.**

**Kristie**

Oh yeah… I forgot… what the bloody hell are disclaimers, and are authors required to write one? 

**Forgive my ignorance.**

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Chapter 9 – A Prophecy

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sophie went down. Professor Dumbledore was back, and he said that Lupin was going to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. He announced that they did not need to get new books for his subject. They could just use the book they had three years previously. This made Mrs. Weasley ecstatic, seeing as the Weasleys had little money. They were getting more of it, however. Percy gave his parents all the money he earned as Junior Assistant to the Minister and he wouldn't take it back. Harry felt glad that Mr. Weasley was starting a new job. If Percy's position got him at least some gold, Mr. Weasley's new one must earn more.

The children, Mrs. Weasley and Lupin were going to Diagon Alley while Tonks, Percy and Mr. Weasley were to stay at Headquarters. Dumbledore was to accompany Harry &co. Harry wondered why at first, but then he remembered about Voldemort. This sucked out all the happiness in his body. He was so happy that day that he had almost forgotten about all the things he had to bear with. He nearly forgot to be the Boy Who Lived, and that moment in time was perhaps his happiest.

Sophie tried to conjure a car, but a car was too big for her powers that she only managed to create the boot, the back seats, the passenger seat, but there was no driver's seat. Hermione was restraining herself from making any comment, but perhaps she thought that she had no right to comment, for she could only conjure yarn and knitting needles. Dumbledore conjured the missing part of the car, gave it an enlarging spell and gave it a nice electric blue color (his personal favorite.). They agreed to bring Sirius' portrait, seeing as he was cleared by the Ministry last month. They knew of Peter Pettigrew's murders and the fact that he was an unregistered Animagus, and they were still on the hunt for him.

The car ran using magic, so there was no steering wheel. Everyone had a good time using the magical car. Dumbledore even suggested that he and Sophie start a business on these cars. Harry noticed that Sophie seemed to have a close, personal relationship with Dumbledore. She laughed with him like they were close friends, and Dumbledore regarded her with an expression that he used with Harry. Harry suddenly felt guilty for the things he said and did to Dumbledore. He turned to his left and saw Alexander. He realized how much he looked like Sophie. The only difference was Alexander was olive-skinned like his mother, while Sophie had her father's porcelain skin. Alexander was sitting moodily; he was looking out the window, staring at the different passersby. He looked like those child actors on Muggle movies that had some sort of depressing role. That's when something hit Harry.

Alexander's parents were dead.

When Harry realized this, his head jerked like a dog that had just scented a rabbit. His eyes, so reminiscent of his elder sister's, were on him. He stared at him with the same piercing stare Sophie had.

"Must you rub it in that they're gone?" said the little boy quietly.

There was nothing that broke Harry's heart like this. He now realized why Hermione sometimes cried over such meaningless things. What he didn't realize that she did was that there are many people who are hurt so badly that his the pain his own problems caused was nothing compared to the grieving of other people's loss. Harry did not need to cope with loss when he was eleven. Sure, he had to face Lord Voldemort, he had to endure physical pain, but he didn't have to endure emptiness and grief that came with the loss of one's loved one.

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

"They're gone," said Alexander, his eyes still fixed on Harry's.

"I know how you feel."

"You can't, and you know it."

"True, but I've also lost much."

"It's nothing compared to losing your parents."

"I lost mine."

"True, but you didn't know them."

"Would you rather that they were gone from the start than you losing them but having a few moments in space and time with them?"

"Time and space cannot be frozen, so these moments are useless. You can't savor them when they're done. They only give you pain when they're gone."

"So what you're saying is that you don't want to love?"

"No, what I am saying is that I don't want to lose."

"You can't lose anything if you don't have anything to love."

"Aye, but that's if you outlive them. You can die young, but feel content with all the moments in time that you have experienced. Unfortunately, I am forced to outlive everyone."

"Not everyone. You're bound to die sometime."

Alexander didn't reply. He looked back at the window and said nothing. Harry sighed and turned back to Sophie and Dumbledore. They seemed done with their conversation; Dumbledore was now humming to himself. Sophie, however, wanted to talk about her brother.

"Don't mind him, Harry. Let him grieve. He's got it better than me. I let go of everything I felt, but they haunt me, Harry. My dreams are filled with images of them. I let go of my emotions, but I cannot let go of the memories. I refuse to cope; pretending there's nothing to cope about. My conscience eats me up inside because I feel guilty for becoming callous to loss."

Harry did not understand how this made it worse for her, because he would've given any amount of money not to feel. He supposed that it was some sort of girl thing. Or maybe, perhaps, they had a very different way of thinking.

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When they got to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry saw a man who he felt he saw before. He was in black and had a hood on. He made a beeline for Alexander, then stroked his cheek.

"Phoenix… Half-blood… Royalty…"

The man then saw Dumbledore, then vanished. Alexander looked very fearful. He shot into Professor Dumbledore's arms. He wasn't crying, but he was clinging onto the headmaster's robes very tightly. Dumbledore had a strange light in his eyes. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were clueless as to why the man approached Alexander, and why he had such a strange reaction, but everyone else seemed to know why. Lupin looked sadly at the little boy while Mrs. Weasley's eyes shone with tears. Sophie looked as though she wanted to kill the man who just vanished.

They stood there for a long, long time. The people in the pub started to look at them. When Alexander felt better, they headed towards the wall that Harry used as an entrance when he was in his first year. Dumbledore brought out his long wand and tapped the brick wall. The wall quivered and the bricks rearranged themselves to make a hole, just like when he was in his first year.

They had gone to Flourish and Blotts to get all their books, and while Alexander went with Lupin and Sophie to Madam Malkin's, the other's had ice cream at Fortescue's. When it was time for Alexander to get his wand, however, everyone joined him, and in result, Ollivander's little shop was crammed. To everyone but Dumbledore's surprise, Fawkes was there. He was perched on Mr. Ollivander's shoulder.

"I received your letter, Mr. Dumbledore, sir," Mr. Ollivander said, bowing slightly. "I'm glad it wasn't much of a struggle to get the tail feather. The first time, he was very reluctant to give a feather. I suppose, it was most probably because… he knew…. Curious, how these animals behave. It was as if he could see that Tom Riddle… yes, well, the other two wands are used for good. Well, one of them, anyway." He looked at Harry, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, let's get down to business, shall we?"

Alexander wasn't measured like Harry was, but a wand was handed to him. "Oak and phoenix feather, twelve and a quarter inches."

He waved the wand, and muttered, _"Serpensortia."_ A black snake shout out of his wand.

"You were always right, Dumbledore," muttered Ollivander. Alexander did not look at all amazed that he had done a spell for the first time. He began to speak to the snake. _Parseltongue,_ thought Harry. Sophie looked at Harry and smiled.

"Yes, Harry, he's a Parseltongue. I am, too, you know. Listen to what he's telling the snake."

Harry listened and hear the words, _hope… help… trust…_

He smiled at Sophie. She didn't seem to notice, though. She was gazing at her little brother with a pitying look. Seeing her like this wiped the smile off of Harry's face.

"Harry, can we take a walk?" Sophie asked Harry.

Harry nodded and they walked out of Ollivander's Wand Shop. She jammed her fists into her pockets and stared moodily at the ground. When she looked up, her face was very wet with tears.

"What's wrong, Sophie?" Harry asked quietly.

"It's not fair! He's only a kid, why must he cope with so much? Why should he be so torn in between?"

"What do you mean?"

Sophie brought out her wand. "When I say _Legilimens_, I want you to use a shield charm right away. Do you understand, Harry? Do it right away," she told him firmly. Harry brought out his wand and prepared to do what Sophie instructed him to.

"_Legilimens!"_

"_Protego!"_

Harry blocked the spell almost as soon as it was said. His mind then filled with frightening memories that were not his.

It looked like a peaceful day in a your typical Victorian home. In front of the fireplace were armchairs made of polished wood. On one armchair was Mr. Volkova, sipping a cup of tea, while seated on the other was a very pregnant Mrs. Volkova. On the rug was a four-year-old Sophie, playing with a shaggy brown dog. Three house elves came bearing sweets. There were Belgian pralines, Swiss chocolates and what looked like Chocolate Frogs. Suddenly, three more house elves rushed in, announcing that there was a man at the door, saying that he needed to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Volkova, and that it was urgent. Mr. Volkova instructed the three house elves to let the man in.

He was a short, tubby man, with thinning hair splotched with gray and a gray beard. He was wearing chocolate-brown robes that looked like the outfit of friars. He was soaked by the rain. He then fell to his knees and began to talk in a raspy, hoarse voice. What he was saying was, undoubtedly, a prophecy.

"_At the Solstice will come a new asset to both sides…. A prince that refuses to be killed or to die…. Equal to the one to vanquish the Dark Lord, alike with the one who he wants to kill…. At a young age will he be forced to fight, killing someone he loves if he fights the side of light.… At the Solstice will come a new asset to both sides, a prince that refuses to be killed or to die…."_

Harry opened his eyes and saw the present day Sophie looking at him with eyes filled with fury.

"What was that? What did I just see?"

"That was the prophecy made about my brother."

"How did you know that your brother was the one being talked about in the prophecy?"

"Well, for one thing, Harry, d'you reckon that a man would be crazy enough to go to the home of a bunch of people he didn't even know about just to deliver a prophecy? My brother was born on the Solstice. You heard the prophecy; he's equal to the Dark Lord and alike with the one the Dark Lord plans to kill. That mean's he's half-blood like you and Voldemort! A prince who refuses to be killed or to die – my brother is a Flamagus."

"A what?!"

"The Flamagi are part-phoenix. They burst into flame when someone attempts to kill them and when the flames die, they turn back into babies."

"So that's why he would be an asset to both sides!"

"Exactly! What worries me, however, is the fact that he already has his first wand. The prophecy states that if he fight the light side, meaning that he joins Voldemort and the Death Eaters, someone he loves will die. I don't think he can bear with that yet. I don't know why such heavy burdens are put upon the backs of young people."

"Was there a prophecy made about you?"

"My parents told me nothing, but I'm beginning to suspect that there was," she said darkly. "They've always treated me like my brother, telling me never to join the Dark Lord, telling me to always follow Dumbledore."

Somehow, Harry felt that he saw the man that prophesized Alexander's role in the second war. Then it hit him: _the Department of Mysteries, when I told the others to smash shelves…_

Alexander's prophecy was kept in the Department of Mysteries, but Harry and the others had smashed it. He remembered seeing the pearly-white figures coming from the spheres they broke. He didn't say anything anymore, for a small voice spoke behind them.

"Why did you tell him, Sophie?"

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	10. Kything

**A/N: Hey guys!!! I am SO SORRY for not posting for, like, the longest time. I was going through writer's block, and I'm really busy with, like, school stuff. My parents killed me 'cause I forgot to tell them that I needed to pay for my graduation dress. I'm breaking down due to stress…. Argh! **

**Anyway, I promise to make this chapter a bit long because I haven't updated in ages.**

**I AM REALLY SO SORRY, PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME FOR THIS!!!!**

**Kything is property of Madeleine L'Engle. You can find it in her books, the sequels to A Wrinkle in Time.**

**Harry Potter is obviously property of J.K. Rowling, I have no idea who invented bloody disclaimers. If it is a FANfiction website, I have NO idea why we have to put disclaimers. **

**Please read my HG fic, it's entitled Actions Speak Louder than Words. **

**Ashantelle, if you're there, help with our J/L fic, please!!! WE NEED A PLOT!**

**Anyway, thanks for your undying(?) support. **

**Love lots,**

**Kristie**

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Chapter 10 – Kything

"Why did you tell him, Sophie?"

"Alexander!" exclaimed Sophie. "I-I, well, I, er – "

"I don't want pity, and you know that Sophie! Why do you feel sorry for me all the time?! I don't want _that_ kind of attention! You've treated me like this ever since we were kids!"

"_Listen_ to me, Alex! _Please_ listen! I'm _begging_ you, please listen!"

"_Listen?_ You want me to _listen?_ Since when have you listened to me, Sophie? Since when?"

"You're a _kid,_ you _need_ to listen to me!" Sophie was exasperated.

"I'm not little anymore, Sophia! Stop insisting that I am!"

"Mum and Dad told me to take care of you if anything happened to them! Why won't you let me?"

"Leave Mum and Dad out of this!"

"Why should I? They are, after all OUR PARENTS, you know!"

"I PERFECTLY KNOW WHO MY PARENTS ARE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! JUST BECAUSE I'M YOUNGER THAN YOU, IT DOESN'T MEAN I'M A BLOODY RETARD!"

"You language is unnecessary," Sophie stated calmly. "Swearing is the product of a limited mind. If you are as strong as you _think_ you are, Alexander, your mind would not be limited enough for you to be swearing."

Harry had absolutely no idea on what to do. He looked at Sophie's eyes. He noticed now what he had not noticed before. Her eyes naturally gleamed with intensity. The gleam seemed to intensify as she looked at her younger brother. Harry then looked at Alexander's eyes and knew that his eyes were very much like Sophie's in appearance, but very different in essence. Alexander's eyes were not intense. His eyes gave off a cold aura. If Sophie's presence at first was very indistinguishable, Alexander's was direct; Harry felt shivers up and down his spine as he looked at Alexander. As if on cue, Harry felt the aura around the other boy change. It was as if a wave of warmth was trying to mask the cold; the warmth was there, but the cold was just as present. It was different, yes, but it was not at all comforting. Harry knew that the warmth that Alexander was projecting was completely false. He had no idea whatsoever on why he could sense this. All he knew, however, was that what was going on between Sophie and Alexander was something unpleasant.

"Yes… my language was unnecessary, that is true. Forgive me the offense committed. However, there is still one issue I would like to discuss with you, _big sister_." Alexander was getting creepy, and Harry could sense the artificial warmth leaving.

"An issue, Alexander? What _issue_ is this?"

"The fact that you refuse to kythe with me. You've shut me out, Sophie. Why." The word why came out cold, and it seemed that it was more of a statement rather than a question.

The words meant nothing to Harry, but the seemed to make such a big impact on Sophie. She glared at her younger brother, yet Harry couldn't sense a bit of anger at all. He could sense, however, guilt. It was strong, and Harry could also sense self-hate for feeling these emotions. Sophie looked at Harry for a split-second, and then all of a sudden he felt nothing. He could no longer sense anything that Sophie was feeling. It was as if she had shut him out.

"Sophia, I asked why you haven't allowed me to kythe with you for the past few days."

"You claim that you are intelligent, but you know not why I have shut you out." Sophie's tone was in a way, conceited, but Harry could hear it quaver. Harry sensed not an emotion, but the fluctuation in her voice was enough to tell him that she was hiding something, a feeling, a feeling that she wanted no one to know she felt.

"I warned Dumbledore about too much time with a certain person would give you too much feelings to deal with."

"Listen to you he did not, for he knew of my capabilities, and wise enough is he to have not listened to you. I am glad to have been given this mission, and my feelings for _a certain person_ will not affect how I perform, thank you very much."

"So it is true? Fear. I have sensed so much of it. The very little I can get from going through the chinks. You fear my discovery of these feelings, don't you?"

"I fear not your discoveries. I fear your reaction towards what you may discover without understanding fully what you have encountered."

"How will I understand what I have discovered if you continue to shut me out? You have done this for as long as I remember, Sophie! I, your own flesh and blood, know practically nothing about you, because when you feel that I get too close for comfort, you take the easy way out and block all my attempts to kythe with you! However, you meet _him_ and tell _him_ everything about you. This is just unfair, Sophie! Why? He knows more about you than I do, yet you have known each other for such a short period of time! You allow him to get so close, and you care not about what will happen to all of Wizardkind if you allow this closeness to escalate. You can't control your feelings, Sophie, and it doesn't help that you insist on terminating the ones you refuse to feel. They may be different, but they are as real, Sophie. It's just like how he and I are different. How we feel for you is different, true, but it's as real."

Harry knew not what the point of the younger boy was. He understood not what his words were trying to deliver. All he knew was that Alexander's aura was becoming colder and colder. Alexander glared at Harry and Sophie, then stalked away. Sophie was still fuming, and Harry decided to speak not while she was trying to cool herself down. After what seemed like an eternity, she cooled down.

"I need a drink. Let's go to a Muggle London pub. I just can't bear going to the Leaky Cauldron right now."

It seemed that Harry had no choice but to comply. He did not react violently. Perhaps leaving the Wizarding world would clear his mind of things. In the Wizarding world, he was not surrounded by computers and all the technology that Uncle Vernon sometimes complained was too complicated, but things seemed more convoluted than all the high-tech gizmos. Sophie took his hand, and it was not unlike the way she would take Alexander's – completely innocent of intention, and completely free of malice.

They left Diagon Alley and went to the Muggle world. They entered a small bar. Sophie ordered Coke and rum. "It's a little something I learned to love during my stay in the Muggle world," she told Harry. "Do you want anything?"

"I'd like a Coke as well, but no rum on mine." He would've loved Butterbeer, but seeing as the Dursleys never allowed him to take Coke (or any other soda, for that matter), he would love the opportunity to try some.

"Harry, I'm really sorry that you had to see that fight we had."

"It's no problem, really."

"I mean, I just hate it when he insists on finding out more about me."

"Well, he _is _your brother, isn't he? I mean, he's got a right to know even just a little bit about you, doesn't he?"

"He doesn't need to know who I am, as long as he knows that I love him."

"Maybe allowing him to know more about you will be quite an efficient way to show it." Both Alexander and Sophie had a very pretentious manner of speaking, and he took a leaf out of their book by using a vaster vocabulary.

"Why? If you loved me, Harry, would you care about me showing you that the feelings are reciprocated? Wouldn't my word be good enough for you?"

Harry didn't know how to react. Sophie's eyes were filled with the familiar intensity. She seemed more passionate than ever about what she was talking about. If he _did_ love Sophie, _would_ he care about how she presented the mutualism of their feelings? _Would_ her word be good enough? He didn't know what to say, because he did not love Sophie.

Or did he? True, he had known her for such a short time, but somehow, he felt something different towards Sophie. He was, in truth, mortified by the idea of being in love with someone. Something then consoled him. He realized that, though his feelings toward Sophie were not more or less than what he felt towards Cho, they were different. Very different, as a matter of fact. The feelings were as different as the two persons themselves were; one was very attractive at all, and he _thought_ he loved, and the other, not attractive at all, but very beautiful, and he knew he loved, but perhaps just as a friend at the moment.

"Relax, Harry. It was just a question." Sophie said this softly and averted her eyes.

"A question that I intend to answer. Sophie, if I did love you, your words of love would be enough, but only just. I would still need the openness from you. It wouldn't be impossible to love you with such hostility there, but still, it would be quite difficult."

"You've changed your manner of speaking in such a short span of time."

"I guess that's because of you."

"How did I change your manner of speaking?"

"I dunno. I guess you've helped me realize many things, Sophie. I've never thought so much about stuff that seemed irrelevant, and I guess thinking about these things that only now I realized were important made me more articulate."

Sophie said nothing, but smiled. She sipped her Coke and rum while Harry sipped his Coke. Just then, Dudley and his gang entered the bar.

"Hey, Big D, isn't that your lousy cousin?"

When Dudley saw Harry, he made a beeline for him. When he saw Sophie, however, he paled. He settled by provoking Harry to use his wand, which Dudley knew, was going to get Harry expelled. One had to admit, though, that Dudley was actually beginning to develop a working brain.

"So, my cousin has a little girlfriend."

Dudley's gang, which was composed of boys who were nearly as vast as Dudley himself, began to corner Sophie. Harry wasn't scared for her like he would have been before knowing of the Wizarding world, but he was rather scared for _them,_ seeing as she was a very good witch.

"And so what if I'm your cousin's girlfriend?"

This statement shocked Harry. When he looked at Sophie, however, he saw her winking, as if telling him to ride on with what she was saying.

"So I suppose you go to that _freak school_ as well."

"If you mean Hogwarts, why don't you call it by it's proper name?"

Dudley paled. He wasn't arrogant or cocky anymore, and Harry could see that he was trying to become small and was failing at it. Sophie pulled out her wand and pointed it at Dudley's throat.

"D-don't h-h-hurt me!"

"Leave. Now."

She performed a Memory Charm on the rest of the gang and the other Muggles, and Dudley and his gang left. Just when they left, Dumbledore entered the bar.

"Sophie, Harry, It's time to leave. The others have been looking for you."

"Yes, Professor."

"You _did_ modify the memories of these people, didn't you?"

"Of course I did."

"You know, Miss Volkova, if the ministry wasn't busy with Voldemort's return, you'd be in big trouble right now."

"Times like these when his return actually _has_ a silver lining."

"We ought to be leaving now, everyone might get worried."

They all left the bar and entered the magical car. The trip back home was full of laughter from everyone except Harry, Sophie and Alexander. Sirius' portrait was cracking jokes and telling stories that eve Dumbledore was laughing at. Sophie and Alexander were both pensive. Harry's mind was filled with thoughts about Sophie. He did not understand why, but all his thoughts were of her. He thought of her during the entire trip, and even in Grimmauld Place.

When they got home, Alexander went to his room and made not a sound. Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny were in the living room. Ron and Ginny were playing chess, Hermione was reading a book she bought from Flourish and Blotts, and Harry was still in the same pensive mood. Sophie was nowhere to be found. Harry decided to go up to Buckbeak's room. He needed company in place of Sophie, and he knew that Ron, Hermione and Ginny provided him not with the same security.

When he went upstairs, however, it was to his surprise that someone was already seated in front of the large Hippogriff. A black-haired, dark-eyed someone.

Sophie.

"Hi Harry."

"How'd you know that I was coming up?" Harry asked, awed.

"Nothing."

"Okay… does it have anything to do with that kything thing that you and Alexander were talking about?"

"Yes, Harry, it does." Sophie sounded incredibly weary.

"What is kything?"

"Are there times that the people you love that are still on this planet are so out of reach?"

"Er – "

Sophie sighed. "Kything is being able to be with someone, no matter how far you are from that person."

"What?"

"You become part of the person, know what the person is going through."

"But isn't that like Legilimency?"

"No, Harry. When you kythe, you are there before the moments become memories. You can be there with the person when you need him or her. When you kythe, you also speak a language deeper than words. You can communicate with the person without speaking. Languages have no meaning when you kythe."

It took a while before he could understand what Sophie said. It was so complicated, yet so clear. All he wanted to do was to be there for Sophie before she got hurt. He didn't want to only hear of the memories of when she felt scared. He was willing to learn from her, even if it took long.

"Can it be learned?"

"Yes."

"Will you show me how?"

"Yes."

"When will you show me?"

"Not now, definitely."

"Why?"

"We lack an element, Harry."

"What is it?"

"Love."

Harry didn't know what to say. He tried to sense for Sophie's feelings, but all he got was an intensified feeling of his emotions. He was confused, and he didn't know what to do, or how to react. Perhaps Sophie was also confused, for he felt only one emotion in the room.

"I – er – well, I _think_ I love you – as a friend, you know."

"Well, I_ think_ that thinking is not enough. There has to be certainty, you know."

"Er, Sophie?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Do _you_ love me?"

She didn't answer.

"I mean, as a friend," he added hastily.

"Yes, Harry, I do. You wanna take a walk?"

"Er, okay."

They stood and went out of the house and walked along Grimmauld Place. The other houses were silent. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was tinted with orange and pink. The horizon was so beautiful; it reminded Harry of Sophie. Gorgeous was not enough to describe both the sunset and Sophie. Sophie took his hand in the same innocent way and they walked.

"Do you really want to learn to kythe?"

"Yes, I really do."

"Why?"

"I dunno. I guess it's 'cause I'd like to be there, you know, when you need help. You've done a lot for me, and I'd like to do a lot for you to, you know, show my gratitude."

"Thanks Harry. You're a gem."

"So, when can I learn to kythe?"

"When there is an appropriate circumstance."

The sky was already dark, and there were stars scattered all over the sky. It was also beautiful – different, but just as beautiful, just as real. He knew Cho Chang was gorgeous, but she was never real to him. She was the most perfect dream he had, and when he had her, he realized that he didn't need that dream to survive. He knew that what made Sophie beautiful the most was the fact that she was real. She was no dream that he desired, and though she was not true to herself, she was true to him. He appreciated how she could show him who she was, because he knew that she couldn't even reveal herself to her own brother.

They headed back to number twelve. They went upstairs and Sophie led Harry to his and Ron's room. They were outside the door when the silence was finally broken.

"I guess I'll see you at dinner tonight."

"Yeah, I guess."

Sophie hugged Harry. He felt a rush of emotions he couldn't distinguish. He did not know if they were good or bad. He knew only one thing about these emotions he felt at the moment.

They were so real.

He watched Sophie go to her room and didn't enter his and Ron's bedroom until he heard her bedroom door shut. He entered the room, more confused than ever.

What were those emotions that he felt? Why was he feeling them?


	11. On the Train

****

A/N: Hey all!

Sorry I'm not able to post that much anymore. Please tell me if you're already tired of the story; I can terminate it, because my last chapter (which I worked hard on) got very few reviews.

I've decided to finally put the crew in Hogwarts to help with my writers' block. Also, Harry finally notices something about Ron and Hermione, but that is of course, thanks to Ginny and Sophie.

**PLEASE review, I hope you guys haven't grown tired of the story yet. I even intended it to be as long as perhaps the fourth or fifth books, but if no one reviews, I really will terminate it.**

**For those who reviewed, thanks very much. **

**Kristie**

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

Chapter 11 – On the Train

Harry did meet Sophie for dinner that night, and when he did, the awkwardness that filled him when they left for their respective bedrooms was gone. It was as if nothing had happened, as if he still felt the same old friendliness before she and Alexander fought.

It is quite hard not to mention Alexander while talking about Sophie. He and Sophie spoke not, and both were quite hostile towards one another. The young boy was showing signs of powerful magic. It was actually quite scary, to tell you the truth. The cold aura around Alexander, however, seemed duller, not as intense. When he wasn't practicing magic, he usually kept to himself; not leaving his room unless he needed to use the loo, at times, not even leaving his room for meals.

During the weeks that passed, Harry was busy learning Occlumency. He was slowly learning to close his mind. Though it was difficult to block his mind during the times when he was conscious, he could do it perfectly while he was subconscious. Sophie confessed sneaking into Harry and Ron's room and trying to interfere with Harry's dreams, not really for Occlumency, but more for fun (Portrait-Sirius suggested it). It turned out that what she did was a very feeble prank, but proved that he was doing well in his Occlumency lessons. Dumbledore himself said that Harry was doing well when he visited headquarters three nights before they were due to leave for Hogwarts.

On the morning everyone was leaving for Hogwarts, our story begins. It was already ten in the morning, and Sophie was nowhere to be seen. She did not show up for breakfast, and the train was leaving in one hour. Ron and Hermione searched the attic, while Harry looked in her room.

He knocked. When no one answered, he opened the door.

The room looked very bare; there was nothing in it except two trunks on the floor next to the bed (one devoted to clothes, the other, art materials), what looked like a Muggle television, and Sophie herself, who looked very engrossed in a portrait she was doing.

"Er – Sophie?"

"Yep?" she said, not taking her eyes off of what she was doing.

"The train's leaving in an hour."

"Yeah. I'll be done in a minute – literally a minute, okay? Come in, sit down."

Harry sat on the bed. Sophie tossed him the remote control.

"Watch."

"Er…"

"Don't tell me you haven't watched anything, you growing up with Muggles and all."

"Ah…. The Dursleys did a very good job of depriving me of the amount of happiness a normal child – Muggle or Magical – should receive at a very tender age."

"Oh Merlin! Never mind. I'm already done. Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"They were last seen in the attic, looking for you."

"Oh no."

"Why?"

Sophie looked at him pityingly. "Don't tell me you don't know."

"Sorry."

"Harry! How can you _not_ know?"

"Know _what?_"

"Maybe this portrait of mine will help you understand."

Harry looked at portrait, and gasped.

It was the portrait that he saw when he entered Sophie's room for the first time. It was the portrait of the two people snogging. The girl had bushy brown hair and the boy was a freckly redhead.

Ron and Hermione!

It looked almost exactly like them. Okay, so Hermione's hair was bushier in real life, and Ron was frecklier (although this is perhaps because they spent the entire summer playing Quidditch); nevertheless, the other features were exactly the same.

"You _can't_ be serious! Ron and Hermione!"

"Don't you notice that every time they row, it's like seeing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, or maybe some other old, married couple?"

"Well, yeah, but this is _Ron and Hermione_ we're talking about!"

"Boys are _so_ clueless."

"Maybe we are."

They both laughed. It was then that Harry noticed something different about Sophie's appearance.

Her hair wasn't wavy and lustrous. It was messy, and full of volume. Harry was sure that if his hair were as long as hers, it would look just like that.

"Er, Sophie?"

"Yeah?"

"Your hair."

"What about it?"

"Er…"

"I know, it's horrible. This is my natural hair. Since I'm a Metamorphagus, however – "

"You're a Metamorphagus?"

"Yep. But I only change my hair. I'm fine with my other features, thanks very much."

Harry was shocked. There was so much more to Sophie.

"I plan to be an Auror after Hogwarts. Tonks said that I'd make a good one because of my Metamorphagus abilities. I'm an Animagus as well. My Animagus form is a phoenix. If anyone tries to kill me, then I can just transform and I'll turn into a featherless chick. When I change back, however, I'll still be the sixteen-year-old girl that I am."

"So that's why Dumbledore got you as my guard!" said Harry, awestruck.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"You reckon that I can be an Animagus this year?"

"Yeah, but we have to start early. Perhaps when we've settled down in school, I can help you."

Sophie dragged one of her trunks. "Now, don't mention anything about Ron and Hermione when we get down."

"Is it true anyway?"

"Yeah, but neither would admit it."

"Now c'mon. They're waiting for us," said Harry. He helped her with one of her trunks, and together they went down the stairs.

Everyone else was downstairs. Mrs. Weasley was hugging everyone goodbye. They were to walk to King's Cross with Lupin (he was also going to ride the train going to school) and they didn't need any other guard, seeing that Sophie was already there to be Harry's guard. What was meant to be a very emotional farewell was disturbed by Sirius' portrait.

"I WANNA COME TOO!"

Everyone else laughed and Harry held the portrait. He supposed that it would be an improvement having Sirius with him all year round. That would mean more advice. But as they walked, he looked at the canvas that was chatting with Lupin, and he realized that the canvas was not Sirius.

It was just a piece of canvas, only an illusion of what Sirius was.

A lump filled Harry's throat, and he didn't know why. He didn't feel this way when the portrait was first given. He had spent weeks with it, talking to it, laughing at its jokes. Sophie looked at him, and he knew she knew how he felt. It was that kything thing that she was telling him about. She didn't teach him yet; he supposed that it was because he did not love her yet – even as a friend or sister. But he then realized that it's hard to love someone you don't know.

But he _did_ know her. Everything was odd. He knew so little about her, but he then realized that in moments of intense emotion, he knew her more than anyone else could. Sophie was confusing. Everything about her was. In a matter of weeks, his way of thinking changed. He was somehow influenced by the way she thought.

He thought of all this as they were on their way, and it amazed him that it started with Sirius' portrait.

When they arrived at King's Cross, Hermione and Ron left for the Prefect's carriages along with Lupin (carrying Sirius) who was stationed there, which left Harry with Sophie, Ginny and Alexander. Alexander left the other three shortly after Ron and Hermione left, which left Harry, Ginny and Sophie to look for a spare compartment.

They found one, and there was only one person in it. They entered and saw that the person was crying, dressed in a black cloak with a black veil covering her face. Neither Ginny nor Harry recognized who she was. Sophie, however, had a look of utmost disgust.

Ginny felt sorry for this girl. "Why are you crying?"

"I've been hurt by the one I love," came the hoarse reply. Harry did not recognize the voice of the girl. He, however, felt compassion for her, even if he knew not who she was.

"Who's the one who hurt you?" asked he.

"You, Harry Potter."

"That's enough, Cho Chang!" roared Sophie. She muttered something which blew away the cloak and veil, revealing Cho's face. "That was a very dirty trick, Cho. That was low. Very, very low."

Cho looked at Sophie scathingly then stuck her nose in the air as she left the compartment. Sophie, however, seemed calm when she left, very pleased with her performance, obviously glad that she had managed to intimidate one of the most popular seventh years in Hogwarts.

Hours flew by. The trolley lady came with sweets, Harry and Ginny had a debate on what tasted better: Chocolate Frogs or Sugar Quills (Ginny won, of course), and Ron and Hermione came back, exhausted.

"So, who're the heads?"

"Alyssa Clearwater from Ravenclaw – "

"Perce's girlfriend's sister – "

"and Ryan Rodriguez, who's in our house."

"Don't they have a thing for each other?" asked Sophie.

"I dunno."

"Ron! How _thick_ can you get! Couldn't you see the way they exchanged _very meaningful_ glances?"

"_Meaningful!_ How can glances be _meaningful!_"

Just then, the compartment door opened. Dean Thomas stood at the door. He glanced at Ginny, then Ginny followed him, blushing.

"See what I mean by meaningful glances."

Ron didn't reply. He looked totally infuriated.

"Look, Ron. Don't harp about it again. You were like that about Michael Corner, and that was somehow acceptable, because he's a git. But this is _Dean_ we're talking about. Dean is our _friend_ – "

"Who happens to be going out with my little sister!"

"She's not little anymore, Ron!"

"_You _wouldn't know! You're an only child! I'm sure Sophie understands, don't you?"

"I refuse to take part in your argument. For the record, though, I _do_ think Alexander is little, and I _am_ perhaps a tad bit too overprotective of him, but I suppose that's due to his small stature, and the fact that he's only eleven."

"Anyway," said Harry, "I think everyone's got a point, and we should just change the topic."

"Or you two could snog each other senseless – "

"WHAT!" exclaimed Ron and Hermione.

"What do you _mean_ snog each other senseless?"

"Yeah, and why Hermione and I?"

"Gee, Ron, I didn't think that I was such an awful snog!"

"No, that's not what I mean! I just thought that she'd suggest that you and _Harry_ go snog each other senseless, seeing as it's always you guys who are always paired up." There was a hint of jealousy in Ron's voice; the only times Harry heard Ron use that tone of voice was during the Yule Ball, and whenever Viktor Krum was mentioned.

"Which, mind you, is completely untrue."

Harry smiled. He realized what Sophie meant. Ron and Hermione _did_ have something going on. He knew not what exactly, but he did know that it was _something_ nevertheless.

"Erm, I think I'd better go back to the Prefects' carriage; the Heads might need a bit of, erm, help," said Hermione, her face as red as Ron's hair. Harry had not seen her blush that much since the Yule Ball in their fourth year.

"Yeah. I'd better go with you so that… yeah…" Ron said, not finishing his sentence; his ears were as red as Hermione's face.

"I guess that leaves you and me, Sophie," said Harry once the other two left.

"You know, I think you might have Seer blood, 'cause I was about to say the exact same thing," said Sophie, her wry smile making the corners of her lips twitch.

"You don't have Trelawney as a teacher, but I swear, if someone calls you a seer after you're forced to listen to her senseless jab, you'd be very, very insulted," Harry said, grinning.

"I heard that she enjoys predicting your death."

"That's an understatement. I think she gets a high out of predicting stuff about me after she predicted a _real_ prophecy about me." Harry, then realizing that he had said too much, clamped his mouth.

"The weapon? Yeah, I know all about it. Dumbledore made me listen to it the day before they brought you to Grimmauld Place. He seemed to think that I needed to know what I was working with."

"So, you already know?" Harry asked, feeling the weight of the prophecy for the first time after he left Privet Drive.

"Yeah. Though I do realize that you aren't really in the mood to talk about it. Hell, you haven't even told Ron or Hermione about it."

"How do you know all this?"

Sophie smiled a secretive smile in response to Harry's question, puzzling him. He knew not how she could know all this. It definitely went beyond normal intelligence, but it also went beyond intuition. He knew that Mrs. Weasley, who had a mother's intuition, would not know everything he felt. Again, it probably had something to do with the kything thing that Sophie and Alexander could do.

Just then, a very happy looking Ginny Weasley entered the compartment. She was lucky that Ron was not there; if he were, she'd be in trouble, seeing as her expression was of one who had just enjoyed a snog session.

"Hey guys. Where're Ron and Hermione?" asked Ginny.

"Prefects' carriage," said Sophie. She and Ginny exchanged an all-knowing look.

"Oh…"

"How come everyone knows about them except for me?" Harry asked.

"You know something, Harry? I have no idea… You spend all your time with them, it makes me wonder why I know more about them than you do," said Ginny.

"Perhaps it's the closeness with them that causes his inability to see such things," Sophie remarked.

"How can my closeness with them make me blind to their relationship?" questioned Harry.

"You're too close to see what's happening. Haven't you wondered why other people seem to know how you feel more than you do? Sometimes, there are feelings or situations that we either deny or forget exist, and we need others to remind us of the possibility of such situations or emotions. I guess it's the same when it comes to relationships with other people. When we get too close, we tend to forget that such situations and occurrences are possible. This thing of Ron and Hermione is a perfect example. You have always seen them as normal best friends who bicker all the time, nothing more, nothing less. You've forgotten that it's possible for them to actually fall in love," Sophie said.

"How do you know all these stuff?" asked Ginny, awed.

Sophie had her secretive smile on her face yet again. It was rather obvious that she wasn't going to be telling Ginny about the kything thing anytime soon. Harry, on the other hand seemed very eager to learn. He wanted to feel everything Sophie felt. He wanted to help her when she needed his help. He wanted to _know_ when she needed his help.

"Don't ask how she knows, Gin. I suppose she just _does,_" said Harry.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

Ron and Hermione entered the compartment.

"Change. We're going to arrive at Hogwarts in about ten minutes."

As Harry got dressed, he felt excited. He was going back to Hogwarts, the place where he had always felt like he belonged, the place he called home.


	12. The Rise of the Dark Creatures

**A/N: Hello people of the world!**

**Thank you very much to those who reviewed. I promise the person with the most reviews will be mentioned at the end of this fic (if I do finish it, that is).**

**This is the twelfth chapter of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, which is what HBP stands for (I was just too lazy to type it).**

**I decided to bring the rating up for a very grotesque scene somewhere in this chapter. **

**I'm sorry for not posting. I just finished with my exams. I'll be graduating next week. Yay! Summer's coming here in the Philippines, so I suppose I'll be able to post more.**

**I would just like to clarify that Sophie is not perfect. The things about her emotions are what make her very many imperfections. She does know many things, yes, but these things are not worth knowing if you don't know yourself, which is precisely her problem. You will learn more about this in later chapters, I am just saying this in response to a particularly LONG and unsigned review.**

**I can't say much about this chapter without revealing much information about it. So just read on, and I hope you enjoy.**

**As always, reviews are very much appreciated. **

**Kristie**

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Chapter 12 – The Rise of the Dark Creatures

There were five minutes left before they were to arrive at Hogwarts. Harry could see the castle, along with some of the seemingly horseless carriages, though he knew very well that Thestrals were attached to them. He could see the fascinating winged creatures, and thought of how he thought they were frightening when he discovered that he could see them the previous year. Ron was eating a few Chocolate Frogs, while Hermione was sorting out some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Ginny was sucking on a Sugar Quill, watching Sophie as she sketched a portrait of Harry looking out the window.

Just then, all the lights went out.

The trolley lady came screaming in their compartment. "Dementors!" she screamed, "tons of them!" When she had said this, all five teens had their wands out, ready to ward them off with Patronuses. (A/N: I checked OoTP, and the plural of Patronus is really Patronuses.)

There was a burst of cold, and everyone saw about twenty cloaked black creatures. All of them bellowed _EXPECTO PATRONUM _and there were five different silvery Patronuses that charged at the Dementors.

What came next, however, was their discovering that these creatures were not Dementors at all.

They turned away from the Patronuses, yes, but they charged at the trolley lady, who was unarmed. What made them sure that they were not Dementors, however, was the fact that after they had sucked out her soul, they devoured her flesh. Blood oozed on the floor and the woman screamed for a while, but all sound was gone as one of the creatures locked its jaws on her neck, bursting an artery. All five teens attempted to ward them off her with the Patronuses, but it seemed that as long as they were facing not the "faces" of these barbaric creatures, they could not ward them off.

Harry then realized that he was the only one with the guts to witness these savage monsters rip the flesh and crush the bones of the poor innocent woman. Ginny and Hermione wept in each other's arms, while Ron was looking away, his face a sickly shade of green. Even Sophie turned away, her face distorted in a pained expression. This made Harry panic.

The beasts were done devouring the trolley lady. They had left not a single trace. The blood that oozed on the floor was licked clean. Some of the creatures then turned to face the five teens. They seemed to have lost all power, for none of them did anything. Harry was preparing himself for the torture that these monsters would inflict upon him, when he heard Ron scream, "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_" It was Ron's Patronus that brought Harry back to life. It wasn't Ginny, who could hex all her older brothers into oblivion; nor was it Hermione, the person who memorized all the spells and could throw them at Death Eaters at will; and it wasn't Sophie, who was probably the strongest person there.

It was Ron, someone who was known only as The Boy Who Lived's best friend.

Inspired by Ron's strength and courage, Harry bellowed the spell and a silver stag erupted from his wand, chasing away some of the creatures. Sophie followed his lead, and a silver phoenix erupted from her wand.

Just then, as Ginny and Hermione were trying to conjure their own Patronuses, Remus Lupin entered the compartment. Seeing Harry and the others in danger, He conjured a Patronus, and all six people managed to ward off the creatures. When the creatures left their compartment, he told them, "Stay here. I need to make sure that they don't hurt anyone else. And do eat some chocolate." With that, he shot out of the compartment, leaving the teenagers in constant vigilance. Though they were instructed to eat chocolate, it seemed that only Ron and Sophie were able to eat after watching something incredibly grotesque.

"What do you reckon those bizarre _things_ were?" Ron asked them, popping a Chocolate Frog in his mouth.

"I thought they were Dementors, but apparently, after _that_ scene…" Hermione said, trailing off.

"They can't be Lethifolds either," Sophie said, her brow wrinkled in thought, beheading a Chocolate Frog.

"Lethi – what?" Harry said.

"Lethifolds. They look like Dementors, but they devour living flesh," said Ginny.

"Then why can't these creatures be Lethifolds?" asked Ron.

"Because the Lethifolds' victims are the sleeping. They suffocate you when you're asleep, then they devour you. They never attack the waking, and they're practically never seen in the daytime. Also, these creatures sucked the trolley lady's soul before devouring her. Lethifolds don't do that," said Sophie.

"I think they're some sort of new creatures or something. I don't think that even Lupin doesn't know what they are," said Harry.

Just then, the lights were back on.

"I think it's all over," Hermione said, sighing with relief.

Lupin entered the compartment, clutching a broken portrait. "It's all over. Those creatures are gone. Sirius' portrait, however, is… well, I think Sophie can make another."

"Nah, I'd prefer if you didn't, Sophie," said Harry, turning to Sophie. "I mean, I liked it and all, but I don't want you to take too much time, seeing as it's bound to be a busy year. And, well, it won't help me get over Sirius' death if I have a portrait of him that seems so real. I'll tell you, however, when I'm over it, so you can make me another one."

Sophie nodded, smiling. "I can make one for you, Remus," she said.

"That would be nice, Sophie," said Lupin. It was obvious that he was the one who was most affected by Sirius' death. He left the compartment, and in about five minutes, the train was moving again, and they were about to arrive in Hogwarts.

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When they arrived, the trio and Sophie were in one carriage, while Ginny was in the carriage behind them, most probably snogging Dean, much to Ron's disgust.

"So this is what the Thestrals look like," Sophie said, looking at the winged horses.

"Yeah. I thought I was imagining things last year. What made things worse was that the only person who could see them at that moment was Luna Lovegood. And seeing as she comes out with the most bizarre things on earth – "

"Seeing as her father runs the Quibbler – "

"I thought I was going insane as well. I thought I was gonna end up becoming a nutter, like Luna."

Sophie laughed. "That was pretty mean, Harry."

"Well, she is batty, you have to admit that much."

"True, true, but… I dunno, she seems really nice."

"She is, but… I dunno… she's nice, but she really is quite nutty."

"She is, she is. Quite nutty indeed."

They both laughed. Sophie continued to look at the winged horses with some sort of respect and awe.

"Whom did you see die?" asked Harry quietly.

"My aunt. She was," Sophie snorted, "attacked by a Lethifold last summer. It was night, and I entered her room. All I saw was this _thing_ chewing on the only part of her left – her arm. I also saw my parents die shortly after that. That wasn't as bloody as the Lethifold attack, but it was a death nonetheless."

Harry said nothing. How she could take things like death very lightly was beyond his comprehension.

After a few minutes, the carriages arrived at the castle. Ginny rejoined the other four, and before they even got to the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall told them that the Headmaster wished to see them.

"I wonder why Dumbledore wants to see us," Ron said.

"It's probably because of that entire train incident," said Hermione.

"I _do_ hope he tells us what those _monsters_ were," said Ginny, shuddering.

"I _do_ hope that we won't have to recall that incident," said Sophie.

"I think that he'll want us to. And, here we are," said Harry, pointing at Dumbledore's office.

"So, what's the password?" asked Sophie.

"Er, I don't know. It's usually some sort of sweet he's grown particularly fond of."

Silence. Long silence.

"Chocolate Frog!" said Ron.

"Sugar Quill!" said Ginny.

"Ice Mice!" said Sophie.

"Acid Pop!" said Harry.

"Mars Bar!" Hermione said in desperation.

The stone gargoyle moved, revealing the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Hermione, what's a Mars Bar?" asked Ginny, while Ron had a bemused look on his face.

Suddenly, Harry, Sophie and Hermione had dreamy looks on their faces.

"It's a Muggle sweet – "

"A delicious chocolate bar – "

"With ooey gooey caramel – "

"That sticks to your teeth – "

"And melts in your mouth – "

"And it's best when it's at room temperature – "

All three sighed.

"Wow, I've never seen you get worked up because of a sweet, Hermione," said Ron.

"This isn't any ordinary sweet, Ron! We're talking about _Mars Bars_ here!" said Sophie indignantly.

"I haven't had a Mars Bar since I left the Dursleys," said Harry.

"While I acquired a taste for them only yesterday while I was in Muggle London," said a voice that belonged not to any of the teens.

Professor Albus Dumbledore was looking at all five teenagers, wearing a weary, but sincere, smile on his face. "Come in, come in. Professor Lupin is upstairs as well."

The five teens went up to the office and entered a door. Seated on a squashy chintz armchair was Remus Lupin. Without being told, Sophie conjured another five armchairs, which were perhaps not as comfortable, but comfortable enough. Dumbledore got to his chair and sat before he began to speak.

"I heard of the situation in the train. Professor Lupin told me about what had happened. I just need a full account of what had happened before he entered your compartment. Harry, will you be ever so kind to…"

"Yes, Professor."

Harry was accurate in the retelling of the incident on the Hogwarts' Express, though he left out some of the gory details that he felt were perhaps of no relevance to the case.

"What are these creatures, Professor?" asked Ginny.

"They seem to be a cross breed of Dementors and Lethifolds."

"My question, Dumbledore, is how anyone could manage breeding a Lethifold and a Dementor," said Lupin.

"The Dementors and Lethifolds have joined Lord Voldemort and have agreed to breed in order to help him gain more power. With these new creatures, I'm afraid that Voldemort's starting a new reign is more complicated than we had expected. Anyone incapable of conjuring a Patronus has no chance against these murderous beings. They have inherited the hunger for flesh and the hunger for souls from both species from which they come from. You have witnessed one of the first brutal murders that these new creatures are capable of doing."

"Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"If we witnessed the murder, how come Ron, Ginny and I still can't see the Thestrals?"

"We didn't look at the trolley lady when she died, Hermione," said Ginny, "we turned away after she screamed. Harry was the only one who could bear to watch."

"Yes. I suppose that's why. I suppose one of you is willing for the memory to extracted for my Pensive?"

"I'll give mine, Professor. I don't think I can bear to recall it ever again," said Ginny.

"I think Harry should give his, though," said Sophie. All heads turned to her.

"He's the only one with the recollection of all the events in the incident. The rest of us had our heads turned when the weird things were devouring the trolley lady. I suppose if Professor Dumbledore wants the most accurate memory, Harry's is the best one to extract. However, if the gory details are of no relevance, I suppose he should take Ginny's."

"Miss Volkova, I do believe you are right. However, Miss Weasley, I assure you that even if I extracted your memory, you would still remember what had happened, though perhaps in less detail. And I do believe that Harry has seen more details than any of you, so he most probably needs to have his memory of the incident extracted."

"Yes, Professor. I'm sorry, Harry, I wasn't thinking. It was rather selfish of me."

"Now, let's extract that thought, shall we?"

Dumbledore took his wand out and pointed it to Harry's temple. He extracted a fine gossamer strand and put it in the basin. For a moment, the thoughts in the Pensive swirled about, restless, then finally, the contents of the basin, which resembled liquid, had stilled. Harry could no longer remember the Lethifold/Dementor crossbreed locking its jaws on the trolley lady's neck, but he could vaguely remember the sight of flesh being stripped away from the bone.

"Well, I suppose we ought to get to the Great Hall now. I have my usual start-of-term announcements to make. I also wouldn't fancy missing the House Elves' sumptuous cooking." At the mention of the House Elves, Hermione had a reproachful look on her face. Knowing her place, however, she dared not speak back to the Headmaster, whom she respected and had a high regard for.

Everyone stood. With a wave of her wand, Sophie vanished the chairs that she conjured. Dumbledore then motioned for all of them to follow him. He, along with Lupin, escorted the five students into the Great Hall.

When they got to the Great Hall, the Sorting Ceremony was just a few names away from being over. The hat was busy sorting "Tennessee, Roger," when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Sophie took their seats. Roger Tennessee was put in Ravenclaw. Following the new Ravenclaw were "Thompson, Kate" and her twin brother "Thompson, Kurt," who were both sorted in Gryffindor. "Thurman, Albert" became a Hufflepuff.

Harry could see Alexander. He was standing behind a blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl who was chatting with him – without his consent, it seemed. He looked annoyed, because the girl seemed quite ditzy. She was joined by another ditzy girl, this time a brunette. (A/N: I put a brunette so that the blondes do not take offense to the ditziness of the character.)

There weren't many kids left. "Underling, Rodolphus" was made a Hufflepuff. "Ulinder, Thomas" was the next Slytherin. "Villacorta, Julia," a foreign looking girl, was sorted into Gryffindor. Much to Alexander's surprise, the ditzy blonde and her equally ditzy brunette friend ("Vermin, Mimi and Vellar, Ria) were both sorted into Ravenclaw. Then finally, it was Alexander's turn.

"Volkova, Alexander."

Alexander sat on the three-legged stool, the Sorting Hat covering his eyes. The hat seemed to be speaking to him, and he seemed to be whispering in reply. After what seemed like an eternity but in reality were only a few minutes, the hat seemed to have finally made its decision on what house Alexander belonged to.

"_GRYFFINDOR!_"

There was applause for the young boy as he stood and made his way to the Gryffindor table. He seemed fine with the hat's decision, but upon establishing eye contact with his sister, he wore a look of utmost disgust and displeasure. He made his way to the far end of the table and began a conversation with Nearly Headless Nick. Sophie eyed her younger brother warily as he talked to the resident ghost of Gryffindor house.

After a few moments that seemed like forever to the hungry people anticipating a good feast, the Sorting Ceremony was over. A vast variety of sumptuous dishes appeared magically on the House Tables, and everyone began to heap mounds of food on their plates.

A few courses and many burps and belches later, Harry felt warm and sleepy. After a full day and a very full meal, he was looking forward to sleeping on his wonderfully warm and soft four-poster bed.

Dumbledore then stood, and began his speech. "As we are all consuming the delicious feast prepared for us, I ask for a few moments of your very precious time. Our caretaker, Argus Filch, has asked me to remind you that duels, hexing, cursing and the like are prohibited from the corridors, as well as Dungbombs, Stinkpellets and other odiferous and/or mayhem causing Zonko's merchandise. To see the list of the aforementioned merchandise, please see Mr. Filch's office door." He cleared his throat, then continued.

"To our new students, please be informed that the forest in the grounds, otherwise known as the Forbidden Forest, is considered out-of-bounds, hence its name.

"As for our staff, we are very pleased to welcome back Professor Lupin for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Firenze, who you might know as the teacher who took over Professor Trelawney's post as Divination teacher last term, is replacing Professor Sinistra, who decided to take a break from work. Professor Trelawney has been reinstated as Divination teacher." There was fairly enthusiastic applause for the staff. Dumbledore waited for the applause to subside, then continued.

"Your Head Boy and Girl have come up with the idea of having a Halloween ball. All those in fourth year and above are requested to come. Those in the third year and below, however, have the option to attend or not. Dress Robes shall be worn, and a Hogsmeade weekend shall be organized for Dress Robe shopping. Dates are not required. Well, then…"

Harry's mind seemed to stop. _Not another ball!_ he thought. He thought of whom to take as his date. Looking around, he saw that most of the girls were giggling madly. He could count on his fingers the girls who had no peculiar reaction to Dumbledore's announcement, Hermione, Sophie and Ginny part of that list. _At least there's no more pressure on me. I'm not required to have a date…_

He could not bring himself to listen to Dumbledore's announcement regarding Quidditch tryouts. Thoughts of who to bring and how to act and what to do during the ball occupied his mind.


	13. Stargazers

**A/N: Hey all!**

**I graduated today! WAHOO! I'm gonna be a highschool freshman this June (that's the month that school starts here). Since it's already summer break, I'll be able to post more. No more deadlines, homework, and all that jazz for me until June. **

**This chapter is about stars, and partly about religion and politics. Malfoy-lovers will find this chapter a tad bit offensive, but making Malfoy a good person would not fit in the plot. Sorry. **

**I promise to post more often if you guys click that review button down there and type some mambo jambo about the fic.**

**Thanks,**

**Kristie.**

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Chapter 13 – Stargazers

After a few hours of sleep after the feast, Harry woke abruptly. He had not a nightmare, nor did was he awakened by any noise that was likely to interrupt a peaceful sleep. He woke, simply because he felt like waking. He lay on his bed for a few moments, not wanting to be the cause of his dorm mates' waking. After realizing that they were not likely to wake because of the full days and full meals they had, he walked silently to the window, his bare feet making minimal sound on the cold linoleum floor.

He looked up into the sky and saw the sky, pitch black, with many stars. He could not remember the names of these many stars – perhaps he was not paying much attention in his Astronomy class – but he knew they were beautiful. There was a full moon, but the stars' light did not pale against the brighter light. Harry wondered if Professor Lupin took his potion. Also unseen in the sky were clouds that usually obstructed the stars.

The light reflected on Harry's glasses. Each star was shimmering brightly, that it was as if he could hear them speak. He knew not why he felt more peaceful that he had in days. The stars were entrancing. If they were within his reach, he would be touching each one; the stars would be pulling him towards them.

As he looked at the stars, he seemed to hear Sophie's voice, singing.

_Ride with me upon a shining star _

_Above the moonlit sky _

_We'll find Elysium._

Was there really a Heaven beyond all those stars, a paradise where no one felt sad, or scared, confused, or depressed? Or were those stars the Heaven that all people desired? Though these questions remained unanswered, Harry felt no loss of peace, for the stars continued to entrance him.

"Harry, what on earth are you doing?" asked a voice he knew only too well.

Ron had wakened, most probably about to take a drink of water. He looked at Harry with puzzled eyes.

"I was, er, about to, er, take a bit of water, mate," was Harry's lame excuse.

"Okay. Make it quick, though, I want to drink myself."

Harry went to the water jug and filled the glass only a quarter of the way up. He drank it in one gulp and returned to his bed as quietly as he had emerged from the covers a few minutes ago. He lay in his bed for a few moments and he was asleep, the peace inside of him when he looked at the stars glistening in the sky not quite leaving him yet.

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The next day at breakfast, a barn owl carrying the _Daily Prophet_ – which Hermione did not stop subscribing to – flew into the Great Hall, nearly knocking over a goblet of pumpkin juice. After it had been given a few bronze Knuts, it left, not missing the goblet this time, spilling pumpkin juice all over Neville. Hermione had relieved Neville of his "Why me?" speech by muttering _"Scourgify."_

On the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ was an extremely shocking bit of news. A picture of Cornelius Fudge and another of Amelia Bones were beneath the headline.

**CORNELIUS FUDGE SACKED DUE TO THE ESCAPE OF DEATH EATERS**

**AMELIA SUSAN BONES APPOINTED AS THE NEW MINISTER OF MAGIC**

"Fudge has been sacked?" said Hermione, looking worried.

"Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban?" said Ron, shocked.

"What's going on?" asked Sophie, who noticed that they were suddenly looking at the paper with interest.

"Fudge's been sacked and Death Eaters escaped," said Harry darkly. Sophie got the paper from the table, skimmed through it, then began to read aloud, inviting Ginny, Neville, and all the other Gryffindors to hear.

"_Due to a mass breakout from Azkaban, which has been the second in less than a year, Cornelius Fudge, ex-Minister of Magic, has been forced to step down by the Wizengamot, and other Ministry officials. _

"'_We are afraid that we feel Cornelius Fudge has become incapable of running the Ministry,' said Tiberius Ogden, one of the Wizengamot elders who had insisted on Fudge's removal from office. 'Many people are starting to disapprove of the way he is running our country. He has neglected to mention things that are crucial to the welfare of Magicfolk in the country.'_

"_Some of these things that the ex-Minister had neglected to mention include the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the revolt of the Dementors in Azkaban, and the very recent mass breakout from Azkaban. The Death Eaters that escaped include Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, Vincent Crabbe, Sr., Jugson Goyle, Antonin Dolohov, Walter Mulciber, Lucius Malfoy, Augustus Rookwood, Theodore Nott, Sr., Judas Magnair and Robin Avery._

"_These people are very dangerous and have committed several murders during He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's reign fifteen years ago. Sirius Black , the man believed to be He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's right hand man, had been cleared last summer. Peter Pettigrew, a man believed to be dead until last summer, is also on the run._

"_Another element in He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's growing reign is a new breed of species, the product of breeding a Dementor and a Lethifold. These creatures suck out souls and devour living flesh. These creatures are very lethal, and deaths are incredibly hard to trace, due to the fact that these creatures leave nothing to suggest that there was a killing. The only way to repel these hybrids is by using the Patronus charm, which is the weakness of both Dementors and Lethifolds. A safety guide and a step-by-step manual on how to conjure your own Patronus has been included in this issue of the_ Daily Prophet.

"_At her speech last night, the new Minister of Magic, Amelia Susan Bones called for vigilance and unprejudiced treatment towards half-breeds and other creatures capable of human speech. 'Everyone must be vigilant due to the rise of these abominable creatures. The Lethifolds, the Dementors and their hybrids have joined Lord Voldemort's reign – "_

"She said You-Know-Who's name!" exclaimed Ginny.

"'– _and so have the Quintapeds (also known as the Hairy MacBoon) and most of the giants. The Dark Lord may, at any time, create a new species, more lethal than before. Therefore, I call for an unprejudiced look at half-breeds and other creatures that have the capacity to speak and think like human beings. To preserve the harmony of the good side, we all must rid ourselves of the bias and stereotyping that we have had for generations. This is what I believe my predecessor had failed to do. We cannot allow ourselves to be the cause of the conversion of creatures that are essential to the Dark Lord's growing reign of terror.'_

"_Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, which is the body that voted for Fudge's removal at office, was unavailable for comment. Rumors persist that the current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was called to be the new Minister, but has politely refused the offer._

"'_Dumbledore must have had his reasons,' said Arthur Weasley, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. 'However, we are proud to have Madam Bones as the new Minister of Magic, and we can predict good changes in our government.'_

"_Cornelius Fudge was also unavailable for comment last night."_

"I told you that you couldn't keep my father in prison for long. The Dementors have joined the Dark Lord's side," said a cold, drawling voice that belonged to the one, the only, Draco Malfoy. (Sorry to those who like Malfoy, but his conversion to the good side would be unbelievable and hard to include in the plot.)

Harry stood, and so did Hermione. Ron was silently searching his pockets for his wand, while Ginny already had her fist clenched in her pocket, obviously gripping on her wand. Sophie, however, surveyed them with mild interest. She rested her head on her hand, and watched silently as Harry and Draco glared at each other, as if their glares would melt each other.

"Go away, ferret boy," said Ron, getting to his feet. When Ron said this, Sophie laughed.

"_Ferret boy? _Ron, how on earth did you come up with an insult like that?" she said, gasping for air.

"Mad-eye Moody's impostor turned him into a ferret in the fourth year," said Hermione. Sophie laughed harder.

"Too bad I was studying art in Muggle London in the fourth year! That must've been hilarious!"

"Studying art in Muggle London? Who are you?" said Draco, looking at Sophie with a mixture of disgust, bewilderment and contempt.

"I'm Sophia Volkova. You haven't heard of me, but boy, have I heard of you."

"Sophia, is it?"

"Yes, though I do prefer being called Sophie."

"Sophia, do you know what happens to people who liaise with Muggles during the Dark Lord's reign?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't," said Sophie coolly. "What _does_ happen to people who liaise with decent Muggles during the reign of Tom Marvolo Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort?"

Malfoy flinched slightly at the name. He, however, looked at her, and felt that it was rather odd that he had not intimidated her.

"Well, I'm telling you that insolent, Muggle-loving fools get killed by people like my father."

"Insolent, hmmm? That's a very big word for a little boy like you. And do you know what happens to little boys like you that show no respect to people who do magic at N.E.W.T. level, Mister Malfoy? This." She waved her wand, and it was the same scenario in their fourth year. Malfoy had been transfigured into a bouncing ferret yet again.

"Let's spell _insolent,_ shall we?"

"I," she bounced him on the floor.

"N," she banged him against one of the house tables.

"S," she bounced him on the wall.

"O," she made him go through the Bloody Baron.

"L," she spun him around until he hit the leg of the Gryffindor table.

"E," she made him skid on the Slytherin table and he fell off the table with a small _thud_.

"N," she let go of her wand, but stepped on his tail.

"T," she set him on Crabbe, who panicked and ran around the Great Hall.

"_What_ are you _doing_, Miss Volkova?" shrieked Professor McGonagall.

"Giving Mister Malfoy a spelling lesson, Professor."

"SOPHIA VOLKOVA, TRANSFIGURE HIM BACK INTO HIS ORIGINAL STATE OR I WILL HAVE TO GIVE YOU FIVE WEEKS OF DETENTION!"

Sophie looked at the ferret, which was now under the Ravenclaw table, and waved her wand. In an instant, Draco Malfoy was on his bottom, his usually pale face extremely red.

"What is going on here?" asked a familiar voice.

"Headmaster, Miss Volkova transfigured Mr. Malfoy into a _ferret _and bounced him off the walls and furniture!"

"Is this true, Sophie?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Well, Professor McGonagall, please escort young Mr. Malfoy to the Hospital Wing. As for you, Sophie, I will have to take a point away from your house." When Dumbledore said this, Malfoy was enraged.

"_One point,_ Professor? She assaults me and you take away _one point?"_

"Hush, Mr. Malfoy. Now, let me take you to the Hospital Wing," said Professor McGonagall.

"Sophie, you do know that I was quite unfair," said Dumbledore to Sophie.

"Yes, Professor."

"The next time there is an occurrence like this, I will have to leave the punishment up to Professor McGonagall."

"Yes, Professor."

"Alright, then. Now I will instruct Professor Vector to hand out your schedules in Professor McGonagall's absence. Good day to all of you," he said, addressing Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Sophie.

"Sophie, that was _bloody brilliant!_" said Ron.

"I swear, you have given me something to smile about for the next three months!" said Ginny.

"And you got away with it! Dumbledore took only one point away from Gryffindor!" said Harry, looking at Sophie, very impressed.

Sophie smiled widely, but didn't react. She began to resume eating breakfast. She seemed extremely hungry, seeing as her plate had three pancakes, bacon, two fried eggs, a hashbrown, a few sausages and toast. The only person who ate more than her was Ron, who had the exact same thing, except he had a bowl of porridge along with it.

Harry continued to eat and was grateful that that episode took the others' minds off the article that they had read in the _Daily Prophet._ That way, he was left to bear the weight of all that he had to do in order to prevent Voldemort's reign of terror.

"We have Firenze tonight," squealed Parvati Patil. She was looking at the timetable that Professor Vector just handed out. "He's our teacher in N.E.W.T. astronomy!"

"Why do centaurs fascinate you all of a sudden, Parvati?" asked Sophie.

"Wow. You spoke," said Parvati, looking wide-eyed at Sophie.

"Yes. Yes, I did. I _can_ speak, although I haven't spoken to you since day one."

"You haven't spoken to _anyone,_" said Lavender.

"I have. Trust me, I have. Anyway, back to my question: why do centaurs fascinate you all of a sudden?"

"It's isn't his being a centaur that fascinates us," said Parvati, a giddy smile on her face.

"It's his astonishing good looks that do," giggled Lavender.

"Good looks? By Jove, he's got four legs!" said Ginny, a look of incredulity playing on her face.

Sophie looked at the three, then turned to Harry, leaving the other girls to bicker.

"So, what's it like to have a centaur teaching you?"

"A bit odd, really," said Harry. "I dunno how he'll do at Astronomy, but he was pointless in Divination. Well, the whole subject's pointless, to tell you the truth. I got a T in my O.W.L."

Sophie laughed. "I thought T's were just a myth?"

"They must've had to make a whole new letter grade because of my abysmal performance in that ruddy subject."

They both laughed.

"Well, I'm looking forward to our Astronomy class. I've always wanted to have a centaur teach me."

"I remember Hagrid saying that centaurs were 'ruddy stargazers' back in our first year. Firenze and other centaurs kept on saying that some planet was oddly bright."

"Hmmm. Well, I think I'm almost as excited as Parvati and Lavender for Astronomy tonight."

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Pretty soon, it was night. The sixth-year Gryffindors made their way to the Astronomy classroom on the first floor, which replaced the tower, seeing as Firenze couldn't climb the stairs. Harry, Ron and Hermione were all together, talking about how much Hagrid had improved in his lessons.

"The mooncalves were so pretty. When I looked at our timetables, I wondered why Hagrid was having his class at night. I thought he was going to show us Lupin while he was transforming, or something," said Hermione.

"I'm rather glad we didn't have Defense Against the Dark Arts today. Imagine if," Ron said, then looked around to see if someone was behind them, "imagine if _Snape_ was our teacher! It would've been bloody hell for us!"

When they got to the Astronomy classroom, there was only one person there. Sophie was lying on the grass, looking at the sky. The classroom setting was pretty much like the one in Divination the previous year.

"Hi, Sophie," said Harry.

"Hey, Harry. Ron, Hermione," she said.

"What're you doing here?" asked Ron.

"Well, I quit Muggle Studies, so I have one free period. Firenze allowed me to stay here and stargaze until the rest of the class gets here."

"Why did you quit Muggle Studies?" asked Hermione.

"I found it had no relevance to my career choice."

"Which would be…?"

"An Auror."

"Oh…"

"I also quit History of Magic, but the first period is tomorrow, so I didn't have any other free periods."

"Well, since you're planning to become an Auror, will you be quitting Arithmancy as well?"

"Nope. I retained Arithmancy because I like numbers, but that might not have been very sensible, seeing as the subject will have no bearing on the career I will be taking."

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you in class, then."

"Yeah. I suppose so."

Students began arriving at the Astronomy classroom, and soon, Firenze did as well. He walked to the front of the classroom and greeted the class. Parvati and Lavender exchanged sighs.

"Good evening, class. Today, we will be looking at the brightness of the different planets. Everyone, please lie down on the ground and look at the sky."

Except for the fact that there were no telescopes involved, and that they were on the ground, it was like a regular Astronomy class. They plotted on some parchment the locations of different planets and stars. Firenze taught them to see the brightness of the planets, and the told them to list the planets which were brightest that night. Only Sophie was able to understand what Firenze was telling them to do, and fortunately, she allowed everyone else to copy from her.

"I love stars," she told them. "They give off some sort of enchanting, peaceful feeling."

Pretty soon, the Astronomy class was over. Everyone began to pack up. Ron and Hermione were on their way out, when Harry noticed that Sophie had not moved at all. She lay on the ground, looking at the beautiful celestial bodies.

"Hey…. Why aren't you preparing to leave yet?" asked Harry.

"I just want to look at the stars for a little while longer," Sophie replied. She patted the ground next to her, an invitation for Harry to look at the heavens along with her. Harry put his backpack down and lay next to her, looking at the sky.

"My mum said that she used to look at the stars when she was pregnant with me. When I was an infant, she used to take me out and look at the stars. Even as I grew, we would look at the stars together. She hated rainy days, because there would be no way to look at the stars. Before she died, she raised her eyes to the heavens. If you listen closely, you can hear a song. Mum taught me to hear the song of the stars."

Harry kept quiet. He listened intently, and somehow, he could make out a chiming sound. It sounded beautiful, but he yearned to know what it meant. He closed his eyes and concentrated, listening to what the song meant. He could make out a few words…_Make peace_…_Heal_…_Rest_…_Trust_… He opened his eyes and looked at Sophie beside him. He saw a tear roll down her face.

"They're only stars," he told her gently.

"I know."

They lay there for some time, just looking at the sky, giving each other silent company. After a while, Harry broke the silence.

"Do you believe in heaven, Sophie?"

Sophie sat up and looked at him. "How do you mean?"

"Last night, I was looking at the stars from the dormitory window. I was so entranced by them; I thought I was going to levitate towards them. I then wondered if there really was a heaven beyond those stars, or if those stars were heaven itself."

"Do you believe that there is a god, Harry?"

"What? I dunno. The Dursleys are Anglican. I believed in God when I thought I was a Muggle, but for the past six years, I think I've forgotten all about religion."

"I believe in God, Harry. I am a Christian. I read the Bible every night. Back in our fourth year, I didn't want to return to Hogwarts, because I was beginning to feel that magic was betrayal towards God. But then, I thought about Dumbledore… he is a good man. He's a person that I can see God in, and he's a wizard. I suppose… well, I don't know how to feel about it, but I do believe and love God. Now, I will answer the question you ask me. Do I believe in a heaven? My answer is yes, I do, Harry. I cannot believe in God without knowing of a heaven."

Harry kept silent. He knew not how to react to what Sophie just told him. Sophie lay back down on the grass, and they were silent for a few moments more.

"Did I scare you, with what I revealed about myself, Harry?"

"Erm, a little bit."

"I'm sorry. I've got this habit of revealing much too much. I've never developed a friendship with someone before you. I don't know how to keep mum about things when I now have someone to confide in."

"It's alright, really. I don't mind it at all."

"Thanks, Harry."

"No problem."

They lay on the grass a few more moments until it was five minutes to nine o'clock. They got up and went to the Gryffindor tower, giving each other silent, yet comfortable, company.


	14. Harry Gets a Date

Chapter 14 – Harry Gets a Date

About a week before the ball, Harry was all alone. Ron and Hermione had a Prefects' meeting, Ginny was somewhere with Dean, and Sophie was nowhere to be found. He ate his breakfast alone, thinking of what to do. Halloween was fast approaching. He needed to think of a date – and fast.

Who were his possible options? Hermione? Nah. She might flip it and/or freak out like when she rowed with Ron. Besides, she was most probably going with Ron anyway.

How about Ginny? She _did_ fancy him two years ago…. She was also beginning to bloom; she was beginning to look less and less like her brothers and more like his mother when he saw her in Snape's memory…. Nah. She had a boyfriend now, and, like Hermione said, she didn't fancy him anymore, though she did _like_ him in a friendly way.

Sophie? He barely knew the girl, but she was most probably his best option. She'd be friendly with him, and she most probably wouldn't mind if they didn't dance. If he went with her, they'd probably act as though they weren't each other's date.

Just as he was thinking of this, Ginny Weasley flopped down next to him, sighing heavily. She piled as much food as possible on her plate and glared at it. After a few moments, she forked a piece of bacon and stuffed it in her mouth.

"Hey, Gin. What's eating you?" said Harry.

"Dean."

"What happened?"

"We broke up."

"What? Why?"

"He two-timed me."

"With who?"

"Parvati."

"Oh."

Harry didn't know how to comfort Ginny. She didn't look depressed, though. She just looked pissed. She forked another piece of bacon and tried to swallow it whole. That resulted in her almost choking. Harry thumped her back as she tried to swallow the wretched piece of pork.

"Gee, Gin, if you wanna kill yourself, choking on bacon won't work. Trust me, I've tried," said Harry when Ginny stopped choking and gulped half a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"I'm sorry. I just can't think straight when I'm pissed."

"I hate to be thick, but why are you pissed?"

Ginny sighed. "Fred and George gave me a pile of gold to buy myself the best dress robes in Madam Malkin's. I bought something really pretty and when Dumbledore announced that there was going to be a ball, I got really excited. I already got stuff to make me look good. Of course, I expected Dean to be my date, but since we broke up, it's kinda obvious that he's not. He'll most probably go with Parvati. I'll have to go alone, unless Neville asks me again, and even if he did, I'd say no, seeing as he's a horrid dancer. I had to spend ages trying to cure my sore toes, for Heaven's sake!" She sighed once more, than looked at Harry with woeful eyes. "Why does this _always_ happen to me?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find a date." He barely even thought about what he was going to say next; he hadn't anticipated asking Ginny to the ball. "If Ron won't kill me, I'd volunteer."

"What do you mean if Ron won't kill you?"

"Surely you've noticed that when a bloke goes near you, he goes bonkers!"

"I _hate_ it when he does that! I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm _fifteen_ for Merlin's sake!"

"Listen, if I get his consent, I'll take you. That is, of course, if you want me to." He looked at her, feeling quite stupid for making decisions without her approval yet.

"Sure, Harry! Trust me, you won't need Ron's consent. You're his best mate! I'm sure he won't kill you."

"Yeah, but I'll still feel better if I asked him."

"Alright, have it your way then."

Harry's insides were bursting with relief. He finally had a date! Sure, he _did_ have to get Ron's consent first, but he was sure that Ron wouldn't mind. Ron would like him more than Dean, especially if he found out that Dean had two-timed Ginny. Just then, Sophie sat on Harry's other side.

"Where have you been, Miss Volkova?" said Harry.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I was busy reconciling with Alexander," she replied, smiling slightly. She piled a horrendous amount of food on her plate. "Where are Miss Granger and Mr. Ronald Weasley? I should have left his first name out, though, seeing as he's the only male Weasley left."

"Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley are at a Prefects' meeting. I suppose they're deciding the places where they're supposed to do rounds."

"I suppose they chose the broom closet."

"No, I think Alyssa and Ryan already chose that one, and you know Heads get the best snogging places," said Ginny, joining in. She giggled. Sophie smiled and a small laugh escaped from her lips. She, however, did not giggle like Ginny did. Harry, however, did not at all comprehend the reason as to why this was funny. Just then, Ron and Hermione flopped down in front of them, looking thoroughly pissed.

"Alyssa Clearwater and Ryan Rodriguez are mental!" said Ron.

"What happened?" asked Harry, helping himself to some more food, seeing as a very disgruntled Ron meant more competition when it came to food.

"They're making all the Prefects patrol the entire castle while they don't patrol anywhere at all!" said Hermione who was practically shaking due to the injustice. Harry began to wolf down his bacon, just in case she ended up upending the table.

"Since we _are_ the Heads," said Ron in a high-pitched voice that Harry assumed was supposed to be mimicry of Alyssa Clearwater's, "we have the privilege of delegating _less enjoyable_ tasks."

"She sounds just like Snape," said Harry, remembering when Snape spoke to him the previous Christmas.

"All _they _do is snog every five minutes! Honestly, that's totally outrageous. They don't even help with the planning of the Halloween ball, and it's _their_ job! Why on earth did Dumbledore leave us with such lousy excuses for Heads this year? The previous Heads were fine, and Percy and Penelope did well despite the fact that they were in a relationship! Why he gave us students like _them_ when I'm _sure_ there are others who would be more than willing to take the job is totally beyond my comprehension." Hermione looked as though she was going to explode as she said this, barely stopping for air.

"Well, I guess we'll have to grin and bear it." Ron sighed. "Look at it this way. We've met bigger gits. Rita Skeeter was definitely more annoying. And just last year, we had Umbridge. There's also Snape, and he's been a greasy git ever since we stepped into Hogwarts."

Hermione sighed. "I guess you're right. But you have to admit that it's pretty infuriating."

Katie Bell, who was sitting right next to them, joined the conversation. "Alyssa and Ryan may be quite infuriating, but they got the best grades in our year. Besides, there was nobody else fit for the job. I can't judge; not a Prefect, never will be, but I reckon they'll grow out of it. After a while, snogging each other senseless loses its novelty, and that's when the relationship is tested. If they really love each other, they won't break up when they get tired of kissing."

Hermione, who normally would've thought what Katie did was rather abrupt and rude, paused and thought of what Katie had said. "You're right," she said finally. "But I _do_ hope they get tired of snogging soon. I don't think that I'll be able to do what I'm supposed to if they don't."

Ginny, however, was looking at Katie with what looked like rapt admiration. "How do you know all this?"

"Know what?"

"_This_."

Katie blushed; it was rather obvious that she knew because of experience, but Harry doubted that anyone was mean enough to point that out. "I dunno. I just _do_, I guess…" she said, trailing off.

Just then, an owl swooped down, narrowly missing Hermione's goblet of pumpkin juice. Harry thought he heard Katie say softly, _"Oliver!"_ but perhaps he was imagining things, for it seemed that nobody else noticed – or cared, rather.

"I'd better go to the owlery," said Katie, slightly pink in the face.

"Yes, I ought to as well," said Ginny. "Mum wrote me last night. I'd better write back or she might think some sort of freakish thing like an accident happened to me. You know how she is, ever since…yeah…"

The two girls got up and left. Ron and Hermione were now less pissed and began to eat peacefully.

"Katie's going out with Oliver Wood," said Sophie, who was done with her food and began watching them eat, as though watching a mildly amusing television program, and very much not unlike Luna Lovegood.

"How'd you know?" asked Harry, who was almost done.

"I saw a bit of the letter. It seems that he's Keeper for Puddlemere United. Am I correct?"

"Yeah. He said so when we met at the Quidditch World Cup two summers ago."

"I suddenly regret not going. My cousin in Beauxbatons said it was great. Ireland won, but Bulgaria's Seeker got the Snitch, if I am not mistaken."

"Yeah. _Vicky_ got the Snitch," said Ron, putting emphasis on _Vicky._

"Shut up, Ron," said Hermione.

"Ooooh. What happened that I should know?" Sophie asked Harry, who laughed.

"I'll tell you later."

After breakfast, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sophie headed for the dungeons, where they were going to spend a double period under Severus Snape's overtly large and greasy nose.

"Go ahead, I'll just tie my shoe," said Sophie, when Harry waited for her at the top stair leading to the dungeon entrance. Harry ran a bit to catch up with Ron and Hermione, who were almost inside.

When they entered the dungeons, Malfoy, yet again, made a beeline for them. "Hey Potty, Weasel, I heard that Katie Bell's your new Quidditch Captain. I _do_ hope Gryffindor hasn't run out of people to feel sorry for. She should put Longbottom; he's got no brains. She should also put your sister, Weasel, you guys probably had to starve to get new books. Oh, and," he turned to Hermione, "I reckon filthy little Mudbloods should be made part of the team."

It took the full strength of Harry and Hermione to keep Ron from murdering Malfoy, who was laughing loudly with the other Slytherins. Pansy Parkinson gave a high-pitched little shriek, which was, in Harry's opinion, a pathetic excuse for a laugh. Just then, all the laughing stopped. Harry thought Professor Snape had entered the dungeon, but then, he realized, Slytherins didn't fall silent when Snape entered the room; it was deathly quiet, and Harry saw a patch of black in the corner of his eye. He turned slowly…

…and saw Sophie, giving him a look that plainly said, 'boy, you are _weird!_'

Harry could have laughed out loud due to relief.

"What's going on here?" asked Sophie, who looked at all the Slytherins, who looked as though they all dreaded the prospect of turning into ferrets if they were within one foot of her. Just then, behind them, Snape entered the classroom.

"Settle down, settle down. Miss Volkova," he looked at her with utmost dislike; Harry remembered that Sophie's mother was a good friend of the Marauders. "Please take your seat. Potter," Snape gave Harry his usual look of contempt (it was seriously starting to get old), "go along with her."

Harry and Sophie sat with Ron and Hermione on the farthest table from Snape.

"Good morning," said Snape in his deathly soft voice. "This is our first N.E.W.T. class. I assure all of you that I will be grading every potion and essay as though I am a N.E.W.T. examiner. Therefore, all of you should hand in no mediocre work. I can tell whether essays were done just five minutes ago or three days' prior to the submission date." He looked at Neville, who gulped.

"I also expect even the slightest improvement in your potion-brewing skills; I will not accept flagons or vials which are filled with potions that are below average." He looked at Ron and Harry.

"Or, he will not accept flagons or vials that are filled with potions handled by students that he loathes," said Sophie out of the corner of her mouth.

"Did you want to say something, Miss Volkova?"

"No, sir."

"Then why were you speaking out of turn?"

"I was merely asking Harry if he had Spellotape so that I can mend my book after class, sir."

"Then why ask him now if you plan on mending it after class?"

"So that I wouldn't have to worry about fishing it out of his bag after class. But he doesn't have Spellotape, so I guess we should proceed with the lesson, _sir._"

Snape looked as though he wanted to take away a hundred points from Gryffindor for Sophie's getting away with her side comment, but he just took a deep breath and went to the board.

"Today," he had his eyes on Sophie, who stared unblinkingly back, "we shall be making Veritaserum, or Truth Serum. Who knows what the key ingredients to making Veritaserum are?" Hermione raised her hand. As always, Snape didn't call on her. Harry even wondered why she bothered raising her hand; it was obvious that Snape would rather drown himself in his cauldron than call on Hermione. "No one?"

"C'mon Sophie," Harry said urgently, "raise your hand. It won't hurt."

"Harry, it's totally against my principles."

"Please do it, before Snape finds an excuse to take away fifty points per student in Gryffindor."

Sophie swallowed hard. Really, really hard. She looked like a person with fear of heights that was on the edge of a fifty-foot cliff. Slowly, she raised her trembling hand; first at eye's view, then a little higher.

"Higher, Sophie! Don't be such a drama queen."

She raised her hand high, and Snape looked absolutely appalled. "Miss Granger?" he called out. As Hermione stood and began to speak, Sophie put down her hand with a look of utmost relief.

"Drama queen," Harry teased Sophie. She poked his side before they turned to listen to what Hermione was saying.

"Jobberknoll feathers are the most important ingredient in making Veritaserum," she began, speaking, like she always did, as though she swallowed the entire library. "When mixed with the right elements, even if in uneven proportions, the drinker will be revealing all that he or she has hidden. However, the right proportions of Hellebore, ground Bezoar, powdered Erumpent horns and Murtlap essence will give the Serum the right colorless, odorless and tasteless properties when mixed with other drinks. The right proportions of the ingredients will also make it impossible for the drinker to omit any truths, whereas uneven proportions of the ingredients may cause some truths to be omitted."

When Hermione was done, Snape waved his wand and all the ingredients were on the board.

"You have the procedure. You have an hour to prove whether or not all of you are worthy to be here in my N.E.W.T. class."

Harry thought that the potions Snape gave them the previous year were immensely difficult, but they were nothing compared to the Veritaserum, which was very complex and required superior potion-brewing skills.

At the end of the class, Harry corked a vial of his potion; he wasn't so confident, but he hoped that he would be able to scrape a pass. Sure, his potion didn't have the consistency of Hermione's or Sophie's, but he was glad that at least it wasn't like Goyle's, which had the consistency and color of Troll bogies.

After Double Potions, they had Charms, History of Magic (Luckily it wasn't a double period; Harry and Ron were running out of parchment to play hangman on, and Sophie was drooling unattractively on the desk which served as a pillow for her head), and then they proceeded to Transfiguration.

"Good morning," said Professor McGonagall in her typical strict manner, "and welcome to N.E.W.T. Transfiguration. Based on your O.W.L. results, you are all capable of coping in this class. I will, however, be giving you tasks not as easy as the ones in your previous years. You have been warned."

The day's lesson was Conjuring spells. They were supposed to start small, making small fruits appear. However, Harry was very much incapable of conjuring anything. He only produced what looked like dried Doxy dung (he later learned it was supposed to be an apple seed). At the end of the class, only one quarter managed to conjure grapefruit, apple, kiwi, orange or (in some cases) cherry quarters, and only Hermione was able to conjure a fruit basket. Sophie, who could have produced a truckload full of fruits, said she didn't want to prove anything.

"I don't need to prove that I can conjure it; I already know I can," she said, peeling the banana she conjured in five seconds flat.

A few minutes before the period ended, Professor McGonagall collected what the class was able to produce, and announced something before they left.

"Before you go, I have an announcement regarding your Halloween ball," she said, looking at them, making sure they were listening. Harry and Ron, who were playing hangman, stopped to pay attention, knowing that if they didn't, they would get detention.

"The Head Boy and Girl decided to make it a masquerade ball. A masquerade ball is a type of Muggle ball wherein masks are worn so that nobody knows who is who. However, you may want to inform your dates ahead of time, because they might end up dancing with the wrong person."

After a few more notes regarding the ball (dress robes will still be worn, etc.), they were dismissed, and it was time for lunch.

"Hey, Ron," said Harry, as they sat down to eat. He thought it was best that he ask for Ron's consent now.

"Yeah?"

"Can I take Ginny to the ball?"

"Sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You're not kidding?"

"Why would I be?"

"Well," Harry racked his brains for the right words; he didn't want to sound tactless, "every time a bloke goes near your sister, you freak out."

"But you're not just any bloke. You're my best mate, mate. And besides, you don't fancy her and she doesn't fancy you. So you'll just be going as friends."

"Er, right." It was true. He didn't fancy Ginny… did he?

Hermione gave him a "yeah-sure-you-don't-fancy-her-but-don't-come-running-to-me-when-you-need-advice" look. Sophie, however, seemed to want to say something, but every time she looked like she was going to talk, she stuffed her mouth with food, as if to pacify herself. Just then, Ginny sat next to Harry and began to put food on her plate.

"Hey, Gin. Ron said we can go to the ball together," Harry said.

"Great! But I think we should meet each other in the Common Room before going to the ball so that we can put on our masks together."

"Er, okay." Harry didn't know what was happening to him. When Ginny said yes and smiled, he got lost in her aura. He felt stupid because before, he never realized how beautiful she was when she smiled. Or was it just because she was blooming now, and wasn't the same Ginny he knew way back then?

Just then, Sophie stood abruptly. She had a look of what looked like rage, remorse and bewilderment all at the same time.

"Where're you going?" asked Ron thickly, through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"I'm talking to Professor Dumbledore. I… yeah…. Oh and Harry," she said, turning to Harry, "we have an Occlumency session tonight." She left, and Harry felt that odd, cold sensation he felt when Sophie and Alexander were fighting.

"Er, is something eating her?" Harry asked Hermione, wondering if all girls had this weird body language.

"I something wrong with her to begin with? I think she's just fine," said Hermione.

"Yeah, Harry. Why'd you think something was wrong with her?" asked Ginny.

"Oh, nothing," he said, but he was unaware of what he was saying; it was only now that he realized how beautiful Ginny's hazel eyes were.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The weeks passed by, and pretty soon, it was a week before Halloween. It was also a Hogsmeade weekend. Harry was going with Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Sophie to the village so that they could buy (in Harry, Ginny and Hermione's case) robes and masks.

"Behave, Alexander," Sophie told her little brother, who was dying to visit the village. "You'll be able to go in two years. And really, it's nothing much."

"Alright," said the eleven-year-old sulkily, "but you better bring me back a ton of Honeydukes chocolate."

"I will," said Sophie, laughing.

The five teenagers made their way to the village. Their first stop was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, which had displays of masks for the upcoming ball. While Ron and Sophie were looking at masks, Harry, Hermione and Ginny were looking at dress robes.

"How about this one?" asked Hermione, holding a canary-yellow one.

"No," said Ginny. "You look like a chaser on the Hufflepuff team.

"What about me?" Harry asked, feeling very much lost. Ginny and Hermione already looked through about seventy dress robes and vetoed each one. Harry, on the other hand, didn't even know what color of robes to look for.

"I told you, Harry, get something that's a nice green. You know, like the one that you had during the Triwizard," said Ginny. She held up silver dress robes.

"You think this'll look alright on me?" she asked Hermione.

"No. Silver's not really a flattering color."

Harry wondered when Hermione took notice of these things. She rarely seemed like the type to think about which colors were flattering or not, and which robes made one look stunning. Was he as dense as Ron was, in assuming that she was not as feminine as the rest of the Hogwarts female population? He shook himself mentally and turned to Hermione.

"So, what color do you think I should get, Hermione?"

"It doesn't really matter, Harry. All the colors suit you. However, I'd suggest green. It brings out your eyes."

"I already told you, I want something different this year. I already wore green last time."

"Y'know, mate, if you really can't decide, why don't you wear your old ones? That'd make you stand out," said Ron, being his usual unhelpful self.

"Ha, ha," said Harry bleakly.

"How about this one?" Ginny asked Hermione, holding up violet dress robes.

"Wait, Gin," said Harry, suddenly remembering something. "I thought you already had robes?"

"Oh yeah! I wasted my entire time here! So I guess what I'll be wearing will be a secret," Ginny said, bursting into giggles. She was then joined by Hermione. Harry wondered when Ginny and Hermione became giggly. Both of them rarely giggled. He sighed and turned to Sophie, a girl he never heard giggle, who, at the moment, was choosing masks, and seemed like she was deliberately excluding herself from the conversation surrounding her.

"So what color do you think I should get, Sophie?"

"I don't know," said Sophie, who was concentrating on a gold mask she held, and sounding determinedly unconcerned. She looked at him coldly. "Green brings out your eyes, though," she said, before turning back to the masks.

"Fine, fine, fine, I'll get green then! You all win!"

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

**A/N: First and foremost, I am SO SORRY I neglected this fic, I've just been really, really busy lately. Summer's here, so I'm busy with voice lessons, and stuff like that.**

**I think I might delete this if no one reviews… and it's not a threat. I just think that all this thinking of a plot is completely pointless, seeing as no one reviews anymore. So, if I don't get reviews, I'm deleting this story. **

**If I _do_ decide to continue this, the next chapter will be the ball. No, you will not find out why Sophie seems distant towards Harry – that is, if you haven't figured it out yet.**

**So, I guess it's 'til here, then. Review if you want more, don't if you want it deleted. I'm easy enough to talk to. I can take a hint.**

**Kristie. **


	15. Masquerade

Chapter 15 – Masquerade

The week passed by so quickly, that before anyone knew it, it was already Halloween. When Harry woke that morning, Ron was in his pajamas, seated on his bed, stretching. He reached for his glasses, and realized, with that dull feeling of lack of anticipation, that it was already Halloween.

"Morning," grunted Ron.

"Morning," Harry grunted back. He could tell that his best friend had the same enthusiasm (or lack of it) for the night's ball.

"Katie told me last night to tell you that there'll be Quidditch tryouts the day after tomorrow. We all have to be there, she said."

"Okay. Wait… I better ask Lupin or someone for my broom. I still remember when that old hag removed me from the team. I can't believe it's practically been a year since I've been on my broom."

"Yeah… I wonder who'll be on the team."

"Your sister should try out. She's great." Harry felt a feeble lurch in his stomach that was awkward, yet pleasant, when he thought of Ginny. He felt his cheeks go red, and prayed that they weren't; he didn't need Ron breathing down his neck the entire ball long.

Ron raised an eyebrow. He stood up and looked at Harry, who tried to busy himself with something else. Unfortunately, the only thing he could busy himself with at the moment was his messed up bed, and he began to fix it.

"You fancy Ginny, don't you?"

"No!" said Harry, trying as hard as he could to sound as indignant as possible. Unfortunately, Ron didn't buy it.

"Look, Harry, if you do, I won't kill you. I've wanted you to fancy her since second year, mate. When I found out she didn't fancy you anymore, I wanted to march right up to her and insist that she fancy you that very moment. I hated Michael Corner with a passion to kill. What happened to her and Dean, anyway?"

Harry made sure that Dean wasn't there. He was gone, and so was Seamus, so Harry decided it was safe to talk. "They broke up last month, I think. I asked her to be my date, but I decided to get your consent first."

"Why'd they break up?"

"I dunno," Harry lied.

"Well, I'm glad she saw the light."

"Yeah…. So… who're you going with?"

"Hermione. I didn't ask her as a last resort this time." Ron's ears didn't go red, but Harry saw a little pink come out.

"What _is_ going on between the two of you."

"Nothing."

"Yeah, right." This time, Ron's ears began to glow.

"Well, I mean, sometimes she gets so annoying that I wanna kill her, but there are times when… I dunno… I kind of… er… I dunno… really, really like her… y'know what I mean, right?" Ron, said, looking helplessly at Harry.

"Yeah, I do, but don't look at me like that, I don't know what to do about girls either. I'm supposed to be thick, remember?"

"Yeah, but at least you don't have – what is it that she said? Oh right. The emotional range of a teaspoon."

They both laughed.

"Anyway, I think we ought to change now, so that we can have some breakfast, and plan the day out," said Harry.

"Okay… hey mate?"

"Yeah?"

"If you tell Ginny that you fancy her tonight at the ball, I'll tell Hermione that I fancy her as well."

Harry looked at him.

"You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Weasley."

They shook on it. Then, they got dressed and made their way to the Great Hall to have some breakfast. When they got there, it was extremely noisy – noisier than usual; there were many conversations heard through the clatter of silverware on plates, most of them regarding the ball tonight. The two boys sat next to Hermione, Ginny and Sophie, who were eating. Hermione and Ginny were talking about something, but stopped the moment the boys were within hearing range, and Sophie looked extremely withdrawn and was very quiet – more quiet than usual. Harry had to suppress a shudder as he sat down; there was that distinct coldness that Sophie bore the past week. Trying to push the thoughts of this coldness into the back of his mind, he turned to Ginny and racked his brains for something nice to say to her.

"Erm, I'm looking forward to the ball tonight," he said; it was the only nice thing he could say, even if it was a lie. Well, it wasn't so much of a lie anymore. Though he wasn't exactly excited a few moments ago, he felt a bit excited when it dawned on him that he was actually going to the ball with a girl he liked.

"I am too. It's going to be so much fun!"

Sophie was heaving food on her plate and continued eating like there was no tomorrow. Harry felt the coldness intensify, and he looked at her. For the first time, she didn't look back; she was concentrating on her food.

"How can you eat so much and remain thin as a paper?" asked Hermione, awed at the amount of food Sophie took. Harry knew that she had a point; the only person who ate more than Sophie did was Ron, yet she was so skinny – too skinny, actually.

"Fast metabolism," she said shortly, and continued eating. Alexander then sat in front of his older sister.

"How are you?" he asked, his dark eyes which resembled Sophie's in so many ways filled with concern.

Sophie grunted a reply, then began to stuff her mouth with the food on her plate.

"It's not so bad, Sophie. At least you talked to Dumbledore about what you can do tonight."

Sophie swallowed the food in her mouth, then replied, "Yes. But I still feel bad because I assumed. You know what it's like to have false hope…"

Her brother sighed. "Well, you know that I'm here, right, Sophia?"

"Don't call me that Alex! And, yes, I do know you're here, though perhaps you should do stuff with kids your age, and stop worrying about me. I'm fine, and I always will be."

Alexander rolled his eyes. "Yes, Sophie. Although you know that I'll not stop worrying about you."

"Ah, you've always been the most stubborn person on earth."

"And you, the most persistent."

As both brother and sister laughed, Harry felt the eerie coldness vanish, though not instantly, but fast enough. It was a good sensation; it was as though he was relieved of a great weight. Speaking of great weights, he wondered what Voldemort was up to; it was a little more than a month since he heard about him….

Just then, his scar hurt and he pressed his hand on it.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Alexander asked the older boy.

"Nothing," mumbled Harry. "Scar… it's nothing really."

Sophie looked at him sharply. "Any visions? Odd sensations?"

"None…" he said, then closed his eyes. "Anger… no… hatred…" He opened his eyes and looked at Sophie. "What could it mean?" he asked.

She closed her eyes. Then they fluttered open. "It's Halloween today. The 31st of October," she said in a soft voice. She looked at Harry, and though the same warmth that radiated from her those times when she wasn't as distant towards Harry was not present, Harry felt very faint compassion coming from her.

"What does Halloween have to do with it?" he asked.

"It's been fifteen years since you defied him for the first time."

Harry felt an odd rush of emotion in him. It was fifteen years since Wormtail sold his parents to Voldemort. Fifteen years since his parents died. Fifteen years since Sirius was sent to Azkaban. Fifteen years since he was sent to the Dursleys. Fifteen years since he got that damned scar on his forehead, shaped like lightning, unknown to everyone that it was going to hurt every time Voldemort felt an intense emotion. Voldemort…. It was fifteen years since his life was turned from completely fine to anything but normal. Just the previous day fifteen years ago, he still had parents, he had a godfather, and he had a normal life, with parents who loved him. He wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived. He was just Harry Potter, son of two well-loved people, a happy, carefree one-year-old boy.

Alexander stared at him. He began to speak in Parseltongue, a language that perhaps only the two of them and Sophie could understand. _"What's done is done. Don't look back; you won't be able to find peace that way. Don't dwell on the past or on the future, but dwell on the present. You cannot return to the past, and you are unsure of whether you will live to see the future. You are, however, sure that in the present time and space, you exist, and you can make the most out of what happens to you."_

Sophie looked at her younger brother with what looked like a mixture of admiration and pride. Harry, on the other hand, felt a strange feeling of peace that, no matter how hard he tried, wouldn't ebb away.

"Harry, are you alright, mate?" asked Ron, looking scared. It was only then that Harry noticed that everyone was staring at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you guys done? Great, I was thinking we should go for a walk outside to, y'know, enjoy ourselves."

Ron, Hermione and Ginny stood up. Harry then motioned for Sophie and Alexander to come along. Alexander, however, said that he couldn't come.

"I've got to do my Potions essay. Professor Snape gave us a foot on fluxweed, and it's due the day after tomorrow," the first-year told the older students. Sophie sat on her chair, and though she was finished with her breakfast, she did not stand up to join them.

"C'mon Sophie."

She shook her head no, and continued to sit where she was.

"C'mon. I'm not gonna leave 'til you come with us." He was determined to find out what was causing Sophie to be so distant and withdrawn.

"Alright, alright," she said in a very resigned voice.

The five of them walked on the grounds. It was a cold, autumn day, and on the trees were leaves that were as red as Ginny's hair. The autumn was, in Harry's opinion, as beautiful as she was. Ron and Hermione were jumping in a pile of leaves, and Ginny was laughing and joining them. Harry noticed someone who was so melancholy despite the beautiful setting and the happy people all around them.

Sophie sat on the grass, looking at them expressionless. Harry thought that she was as beautiful as the night sky, her pale face like the moon, her dark hair like the sky, her eyes like the stars. He then looked at Ginny again, and saw that she was perhaps quite the opposite. She was as beautiful as the day, as alive, as vibrant. Her hair was as bright as the sun, her voice like the chirping of the birds. Just as Harry was thinking this, Sophie shifted uncomfortably on the grass, and looked at the others coldly. Harry sat next to her and attempted to figure out what was wrong with her.

"Hey… Sickle for your thoughts?" he said, looking at her. Her reply consisted of an incoherent grunt, and Harry, for the life of him, could not fathom why she, someone whose vocabulary was usually so vast, her words so ostentatious, was reduced to incoherent grunts, to meaningless sounds.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean what's wrong?"

"I dunno. You seem, I dunno, distant lately."

Sophie sighed. "I'm not distant, Harry."

"Well, you've been brooding lately; I think I might have the right to know what's going on, or if something's wrong!" Harry said hotly; honestly, couldn't the girl see how uncomfortable and unsettled she made him?

"I haven't been brooding," replied Sophie coolly. She also seemed determined not to catch his gaze. Harry sighed.

"I give up."

The rest of the day was pleasant enough. They continued to enjoy the lovely day, they talked about who was going with whom that night (well, Hermione and Ginny were, anyway), and after lunch and a few run-ins with Neville (who was losing his toad and his robes; he was going with Luna Lovegood to the ball), it was the afternoon, and the four decided to go outdoors (Sophie decided to stay in the common room). They enjoyed the last few hours of daylight, and when it was four o'clock – two and a half hours until the ball – Hermione and Ginny insisted on going back to the castle to "get ready" for the ball. Harry, for the life of him, could not see why they needed two hours and a half to prepare themselves for a ball.

Ron and Harry sat in the common room, doing homework. They decided to do work for an hour and a half, then get ready. "If we're really desperate to get work done," Ron had said, "then we'll work for two hours. I think we'll be able to get ready in thirty minutes." So work they did.

Forty-five minutes later, Harry and Ron began to play chess, and, seeing as Hermione was not there to prevent them from procrastinating, they neglected to continue their work. Fifteen minutes, six losses (in Harry's case) and six victory dances (in Ron's case) later, Harry gave up. Ron, desperate for someone to play chess with, looked around the common room. It seemed to them that it was deserted, but Harry saw someone in the corner of the room. A black-haired, black-clothed someone.

Sophie sat on a chair in the farthest corner of the room, unnoticed. She was reading a book, and it seemed that she was there for a longer period of time, but did not acknowledge their presence. Ron, being as daft as ever, decided to call her and ask her to play chess with him.

"Oy, Sophie!" he yelled.

"_Yes,_ Ron?" came the exasperated reply.

"Wanna play chess with me?"

Sophie looked at him from the top of her book and seemed to be thinking about it. "Alright," she finally said, "but only one game; I'm supposed to get ready in a while."

She and Ron played, and after Ron's victory, Sophie went to her dormitory.

"I guess we ought to be getting ready as well, eh?" said Ron.

They went up to their dormitory. Dean was halfway dressed, while Seamus was trying to make his hair look presentable in front of the mirror. Though he already had found his dress robes and worn them, Neville was still searching their dormitory for Trevor the toad, and, mind you, he was making no progress. Ron decided to take a quick shower before getting dressed, so Harry was left talking to no one, taking the dress robes he bought from Madam Malkin's shop. They were bottle green, and looked almost exactly like the dress robes he wore during his fourth year. They were just a bit longer and had an inside pocket, so Harry could put his wand in it (how proud Moody would have been). Just when he finished putting on his robes, Ron came out of the shower and prepared to dress as well. While Harry was flattening his hair in front of the mirror and Ron was putting on his dress robes which were a lovely shade of royal blue, Seamus and Dean's topic was about their dates.

"So, Ron," said Dean quite casually, "who're you taking to the ball tonight?"

Ron's ears turned a nice shade of crimson before he replied, "Hermione. Who're you taking?"

"Er, Parvati." When Dean said this, Ron's ears became even redder; it was obvious that he figured out why Ginny broke up with Dean.

"How about you, Harry?" asked Seamus, looking between Dean and Ron amusedly, looking as though he was wondering if the said two boys would start rowing.

"Erm, I, er," Harry began, then he looked at Ron for help. Ron was of no help at all, seeing as he looked at Dean as though he wanted to do nothing but squash him. Seamus looked at Harry, expecting an answer.

"I'm, er, going with, er, Ginny," he managed to stutter. He then accidentally-on-purpose dropped his wand, so that he would have an excuse to dive for it and avoid any eye contact with Dean. When he stood after retrieving the said wand, he looked at Seamus, Dean and Ron. Seamus looked like he wanted to either laugh or look bewildered, Dean looked like he was amused by the idea of Harry and Ginny going out (which they weren't, mind you, they were only dates for the ball), and Ron still looked as though his lifelong dream was to kill Dean Thomas.

"Okay," said Dean, raising an eyebrow.

"So… let's go then?" Harry asked more than said.

So the four of them went down a little early, carrying their masks (Neville stayed behind; he was still looking for Trevor). There were only a few people; there were two boys from the seventh year. Katie Bell was also there wearing baby blue dress robes, but she was writing a letter, and didn't seem that excited for the ball. He saw a masked girl who was wearing mauve and had wavy shoulder-length raven hair; he thought it was Sophie, but he then realized that the girl was talking to one of the seventh-year boys, so she definitely wasn't Sophie.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione descended the staircase with Ginny. Harry felt his jaw drop; both girls were really, really pretty. Hermione was dressed in robes that were of the same material as her robes back during the Triwizard, but this time they were a pretty shade of lavender. Ginny donned something simpler; the material wasn't floaty like Hermione's, but it was a deep burgundy color, and it became her. Hermione had her hair in the same elegant bun, while Ginny's hair was a cascade of curls. The two were foils for each other. Harry looked at Ron's reaction, and he looked stunned.

"Hermione, is that _you_?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe that Hermione could look beautiful.

"No, Ron, it's Eloise Midgen. Of course it's her, you prat!" said Ginny; Hermione just blushed a bit.

"Gee, Gin, you look really great," said Harry; he had wanted to say more, but his brain was temporarily incapable of giving better compliments at the moment, due to the fact that his date was extremely beautiful.

"Thanks," Ginny said in reply, smiling a sweet smile. She took the mask from Harry's hand and put it on him. Hands shivering, he did the same thing. He saw through the eyeholes of the mask that Ron and Hermione also put each others' masks on; perhaps this was some sort of tradition that he didn't know… or perhaps Ginny and Hermione just found it cute.

"Where's Sophie?" asked Ron. Harry saw that indeed, she was missing. It felt quite incomplete without her, but not really that unsettling. Hermione snorted in reply to Ron's question.

"She's probably going to make a grand entrance, seeing as she wouldn't get dressed while any of us were in there. She refuses to show us her robes or her mask, and she won't tell us who she's going with or anything. She seems really nervous about something; I just have no idea what."

"Okay," said Harry, "let's go, then?"

The four left Dean and Seamus to wait for Parvati and Lavender. They made it to the Great Hall, where students started coming from their respective houses. The Great Hall was set up pretty much like the Yule Ball two years ago. On the stage where the Weird Sisters performed before was a girl. Harry presumed that she was going to provide music for the ball just like Dumbledore said. Harry didn't know who she was, or what house she was from; she already had a gold mask on. The girl was dressed in a dark shade of violet. Harry saw that this girl's hair was waist-length and incredibly (almost abnormally) straight, and that she was as skinny as a stick. He thought that perhaps it was Cho, but then he realized that this girl was thinner than Cho.

In a few minutes, the students started coming in. The lights began to change into a kaleidoscope of colors, and the girl began to sing the first song. She had a nice voice, and for some reason, Harry felt drawn to it.

Ryan Rodriguez and Alyssa Clearwater began to dance, and after a while other couples began dancing. Even the teachers were dancing; tiny Professor Flitwick was dancing with Professor McGonagall, while Lupin was dancing with Professor Vector. Firenze was doing some sort of centaur trot while Professor Trelawney was dancing in front of him. Harry then felt Ginny pulling him onto the dance floor.

He was extremely nervous; he wasn't exactly the best of dancers. He also remembered that he and Ron had a deal going on; he looked around for Ron and saw that he was also being dragged onto the dance floor. Harry looked at Ginny; she was smiling, and he smiled back, though he did it rather nervously. He put one hand on her waist and took her hand in the other, she put her free hand on his shoulder. They danced a bit, then sat down when the song was finished. They danced to the song that succeeded the one that came after the first (a/n: in other words, the third), and danced to the second song that came after that. Afterwards, they ate dinner.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny ate at the same table. The food was ordered in the same manner as the Yule Ball; you said the name of the food you wished to eat, and it appeared on your plate. After a few servings of food, Ron danced with Hermione, albeit reluctantly (he still wanted to eat some more).

When the next song was played, Harry and Ginny got up from their seats and danced as well. Ron and Hermione sat down, but Ginny insisted that they stayed. The mood changed. Slowly, couples started to join them on the dance floor. Harry gulped; he knew what this was. It was a slow dance, and it was something that he had preferred to sit out.

"The next song is entitled Same Ground, it's by the Weird Sisters, and it's the night's first slow song," said the longhaired girl onstage.

As the intro was being played, Harry put one of his hands on Ginny's waist. But instead of taking the other in her hand, Ginny put it on the other side of her waist, making Harry shiver slightly. She put both her hands on his shoulders and leaned against him.

_My love,_

_It's been a long time since I cried and left you _

_Out of the blue.  
It's hard leaving you that way _

_When I never wanted to._

Harry's gaze shifted to the girl singing onstage. There was something quite unsettling about the way she looked at him; it seemed as though she was accusing him of something. Harry tried to look somewhere else, but it was hopeless. He was so entranced by her voice, but her gaze made him feel very uneasy.

_Self-denial is a game  
It's strange _

_I never would've wanted it until there was you._

Because I have learned that love is beyond  
What humans can imagine,  
The more it clears the more I have to let you go.

The way she looked at him became more unsettling by the moment; for some odd reason, he felt this weird feeling of guilt at the pit of his stomach. The girl's voice began to sound quite sorrowful, that he felt a new feeling of pity, and combined with the aforementioned guilt, it really didn't make him feel at ease.

_Cause what I don't understand  
Is why I'm feeling so bad now  
When I know it was my idea.  
I could've just denied the truth and lied,  
Now why am I the only one standing _

_Stranded on the same ground._

Harry tried to take his eyes away from the girl; he looked down at Ginny resting on him, but he could only see her red curls. He tried to focus on the floor, but the voice enraptured him so much. He reluctantly looked at the girl again, and her eyes were locked on his. Harry tried to avert his eyes, but it was hopeless. He could not fathom why this girl was looking at him, and why he felt strange sensations as he looked back, but as he felt Ginny's tiny waist in his hands, he decided to ignore it and try to make the moment, if not worthwhile for him, worthwhile for Ginny.

_My love,  
It's been a long time since I cried  
and left you out of the blue.  
It's hard leaving you that way when  
I never wanted to._

Self-denial is a game  
It's strange 

_I never would've wanted it until there was you_

_.  
Because I have learned that love is a word _

_Gets thrown a little bit too much,_

_The best excuse to fill the infinite abyss._

_I will never have to if all else fail._

Harry looked at Ginny, and thought if he loved her, or if he just fancied her. He did feel an infinite abyss inside him, and wondered if it would get filled if he decided to love Ginny. But he didn't want to tell her he loved her if he was still so unsure of his feelings. Because of his uncertainty, he stopped looking at Ginny and looked at the girl onstage, and this was a bad idea, because as soon as her gaze caught his, the feelings of guilt and pity returned, and were even intensified for that matter.

_Cause what I don't understand  
Is why I'm feeling so bad now  
When I know it was my idea.  
I could've just denied the truth and lied,  
Now why am I the only one standing _

_Stranded on the same ground._

Ginny lifted her head and looked at him. He looked around, searching for Ron's gaze of approval; he made eye contact with Ron, who nodded, obviously meaning, _"Tell her now_._"_ He then looked at her, not noticing that they were the only ones on the dance floor.

"Er, Gin?"

_If all else fail…_

"Yes, Harry?"

_Would you be there to love me?_

"Er, I just wanted to say… I," he swallowed hard, "I really like you, Gin. And I don't mean as a friend, but… as something… something else."

_When all else fails…_

Ginny smiled. She didn't say anything in reply, but just moved closer…

_Would you be brave to see right through me?_

_  
_Their lips brushed briefly; it was so quick that one wouldn't have seen it if they blinked. Harry then heard cheering, and it was only then that he noticed that they were the only ones left on the dance floor. The cheering came from everyone else who were just watching them, and he felt himself go red.

"Excuse me," said the girl onstage. She left the stage and exited the Great Hall.

Harry and Ginny didn't go back to where the others were, but went out, where Ron and Harry had heard Hagrid talking to Madam Maxime. There were, like the previous ball, giggles coming from behind the rose bushes. They were looking at the stars, and for some odd reason, Harry felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

"The stars are really pretty, aren't they?" said Ginny, sounding a bit breathless.

"Not as pretty as you are tonight," said Harry, and he couldn't believe that those words escaped his mouth. He wasn't exactly the type to say sweet stuff, but he didn't know what came over him that moment. All he knew was Ginny Weasley kissed him, and he liked it.

They talked about the stars for about half an hour or so (but Harry felt that it was only five minutes), and when they returned, everyone was going back to their common rooms. The singer didn't return after her "dramatic" exit, so they all decided to call it a night. After all, what was the point of a ball if there was no music to dance to? So Harry and Ginny returned to Gryffindor Tower, and Harry felt his stomach making little flip-flops when Ginny put her hand in his.

When they got to the common room, Hermione and Ron were seated on the couch in front of the fire, deep in conversation. When Harry saw them, he was pretty sure that there would be no shouting or rowing, unlike the unfortunate scene in the fourth year. He decided to leave them alone, but didn't make it to the boys' dormitory without giving Ginny a peck on the cheek. When he got to the dormitory, he changed and, ignoring Dean and Seamus' attempts to talk to him, went to sleep as soon as his head hit his pillow. For once, he didn't care about anything; Voldemort, Sophie's mood swings and Dean's reaction became trivial matters. All he knew or cared about was that Ginny liked him back. That was all that mattered to him.

Ginny Weasley was all that he cared about.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

**A/N: I got a few reviews, so I guess I will post this chapter, no matter how little the reviews are. I am damn proud of this chapter; it's my longest, and I really worked hard for it. I want at least ten reviews before continuing this.**

**The song is Same Ground and it's REALLY by Kitchie Nadal, a local singer here in the Philippines. Too bad most of you haven't heard it yet; it's one of the best songs ever.**

**I put a bit of Harry/Ginny action there, but if you check my bio, this will end up as Harry/OC, so I'm dreadfully sorry to all my H/G fans. If you want H/G fluff, check out my other fic, Actions Speak Louder than Words. If you're wondering how this will turn out to be Harry/OC, I'm not telling.**

**What will happen to Harry and Ginny? What were Hermione and Ron talking about? Why was Sophie acting all weird? Who the heck was the girl onstage? Why on earth am I asking you these questions when I'm supposed to be the author? To find out the answers to SOME of these questions, stay tuned.**


	16. Strange Dreams and Feelings

**A/N: Hello everyone.**

**I give up! If you people refuse to review, that's peachy with me. I just need to finish this before the real book six comes out. I wanna write a sequel, but it will definitely come out after book six, so it won't really match the story. However, if you guys want one, I can work on one when this is finished. This will definitely end up shorter than I wanted it to be; perhaps 20-25 chapters long. sigh Oh well...**

**Review please, kind people:)**

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Chapter 16 – Strange Dreams and Feelings

The room was dark, and it gave Harry a chilling sensation going up and down his spine. He could feel every hair on his nape stand on end. In the center of the room were two masked people – a man and a woman – and a man in a black cloak.

"Are you sure about this?" he hissed in a cold voice that gave him Goosebumps.

"I am, my lord," said the masked man, his voice a drawl that seemed familiar to Harry. "The Weasley girl kissed him last night. She would be the perfect bait."

"How about that girl, the one with the black hair, the one teaching him Occlumency? Will she not tell him that we are merely baiting him?" asked the masked woman; again, her voice was oddly familiar.

"She does pose a threat," said Voldemort, "both she and her brother."

"Is her brother not a Flamagus?"

"And the Half-blood prince as well?"

"Silence! Alexander Volkova is a Flamagus, but he is not the Half-blood prince. At least, we are not sure of this information. Why else would I have killed Wormtail? He did not inform us well."

Wormtail was dead? Harry felt a strange urge to run away, yet he controlled it, knowing that lives could be saved if he stayed.

"So, I ask you both," he said, his voice more menacing than ever, "to be sure that the information that you both have is accurate, unless you want to meet the same sticky fate as Wormtail."

"My lord, the Weasley girl would be the perfect bait," said the man. "I think Potter may be infatuated with her. It disgusts me, though to think of the nasty little blood traitor. To liaise with Muggles… honestly, her father must be killed for treason."

"Yes, but what about the sister of the Flamagus? His supposed _guard_?" asked the woman, quite exasperatedly.

"Like I said, she does pose a threat. However, she is an easily read book; her cover is practically transparent, so we know where she is weak. This is where you," he turned to the man, "come in. You will make her fall in love with you. She wears her emotions more proudly than Potter does; therefore you will be able to distract her. She is important, for she protects him. He has been effectively shutting me out from his dreams, but that is not because of his own talent. It's because of that girl. She is Potter's armor; remove her, and he will be left vulnerable."

"But my lord," began the woman, "will it not be easier if we use the Volkova girl as bait? That way, we'd be killing two birds with one stone. We can bait Potter, and remove his armor as well."

"Silence! I am Lord Voldemort! Do not contradict me!" He raised his wand, and Harry shut his eyes, prepared for the woman's screams. He opened one eye and saw that the woman had knelt in front of Voldemort, kissing the hem of his robes. The Dark Lord lowered his wand and said, "Had you not been one of my most loyal servants, perhaps I would have killed you by now." There was a tiny hint of amusement in his voice that would have otherwise been completely filled with disgust. He turned to the man. "Like I said earlier, make her fall in love with you. Make sure she believes that you love her."

"Yes, my lord," said the man.

"But I warn you. I do not want you to fall in love with her. She must love you, but you cannot love her. You do not want to suffer the repercussions if ever you do."

"I will make sure of that, master."

"Very well. You," he turned to the woman, "your task is to befriend Weasley. Become close to her; know everything about her. I will, however, prohibit you from revealing anything about yourself. The very reason why I need her as bait is because Volkova reads people well, and doesn't crave friendship as much as the Weasley girl does. We, however, know that Miss Weasley craves friendship and acceptance. Befriend her and accept her, and she will fall for the trap."

"What trap is this, my lord?"

"Disarm her, then knock her out. Hide her in that trick closet in Hogwarts. We will plant a dream in Potter's mind that she is in the Riddle House, trapped in my foul-blooded father's bedroom. Knowing Potter's love of heroics, he will come to her aid immediately. When he gets there, he will realize that he fell for the same trick twice, and I will be able to kill him."

"What about if he brings his _friends_, my lord? What if the Volkova girl goes along with him? She is, after all, his guard. It will be very difficult to get Potter if she is there. For one, she is a Metamorphagus, so it will be difficult to track her down and see whether she will have contacted Dumbledore and his so-called Order of the Phoenix. What's more, her Animagus form is a phoenix, therefore making it virtually impossible to kill her because she can easily transform," said the man.

"I am Lord Voldemort. Don't you see that I have already planned this out? I just need you to cooperate, so unless you want to meet the same sticky end that all my victims have, I suggest you pay attention," he said in a deathly whisper. "You will take Sophia Volkova out somewhere – away from Potter. Make sure she goes nowhere near him. Knock her brother out. His being a Flamagus is an asset to Potter and his little army, so he cannot come anywhere near him. He can also communicate with his sister, even when they are miles apart, so she will know about this, which is something quite undesirable. No, we cannot let Alexander Volkova to be conscious at a time like this; he is too great a threat. However, his other friends are easy to dispose. The Weasley girl's brother will be easy enough to kill, and even if that other one – the girl – is perhaps capable of fighting, she is a Mudblood, therefore she will not be able to fight long enough to help her friend."

Harry seethed with anger when the two Death Eaters laughed along with Voldemort regarding Hermione's parentage. He was so sure that Ron would've knocked them out had he been there with him.

But wait! Where was he? He vaguely remembered being at Hogwarts. Why was he there? Where were Ron, Hermione and Ginny? Had he traveled somewhere while he was asleep?

That must be it! He must be asleep! But if he was asleep, why couldn't he wake up?

Just then, as if on cue, he woke. He felt his chest rising and falling fast, as though he had just ran the many miles separating Hogwarts from the far away place where his dream had occurred. He replayed the entire dream in his head. They were planning to bait him using Ginny! And they wanted to get rid of Sophie. They also said Ron wouldn't last long, and Hermione might hold up for a while, but because of her _parentage_, she wouldn't have the ability to keep up for long. He remembered that this was what had made him realize that he was dreaming. He racked his brains, trying to remember the entire scene, but the harder he tried to remember, the more vague the images in his memory became. It was as though the memory of his dream had a misty quality. He put on his glasses and checked the beds around him; usually people slept in after long nights like last night.

The only bed that was occupied was the one beside his – Ron's bed. Ron was stretching a bit, and judging by the look on his face, it seemed that he had just enjoyed a good night's sleep.

"'Morning," yawned Ron.

"Yeah. 'Morning," Harry grunted back.

"What time is it?" asked Ron.

Harry looked at the clock Dean had beside his four-poster. "It's eight forty-five."

"Merlin! We'll miss breakfast! Come on! Let's get dressed!"

"Relax Ron! It's Sunday!"

"I don't care! We're missing _breakfast_ for goodness' sake!"

Harry shook his head, but still complied with Ron's wishes and dressed as fast as he could. As they went down to the Great Hall, Harry had hoped that Sophie would be there. He wanted to tell her about the dream. He didn't know why he didn't tell Ron, but he felt that he wanted to know whether it was a premonition or an innocent dream. Sure enough, Sophie was there, and, to Harry's relief, she was looking much happier and more pleasant than she did the weeks preceding the ball. Seated near her were Hermione and (Harry felt his face go red) Ginny.

"Good Morning, Harry, good morning, Ron," chirped the three girls.

_Merlin's beard! Since when did these three become all giggly?_ thought Harry. It seemed that the ball changed them, although Harry didn't want Ginny to change; he did, after all, fancy the Ginny he knew before the ball. When the giggles subsided, however, Harry had to repress a sigh of relief; they seemed as though they were back to normal.

"So, how was your night's sleep?" Ginny asked pleasantly.

"Er, okay, I guess," Harry said with some sort of a half-shrug.

"That's good. I slept quite well too."

"That's nice."

It was quite awkward; Harry didn't feel this way when he and Ginny weren't some sort of an item. Harry turned to his right; Ron and Hermione seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were talking and laughing. Harry decided not to act so awkward around Ginny; they'd probably have more fun that way.

"Did you read the Hogsmeade notice board?" asked Ginny. Somehow, Harry felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Er, no, I haven't. Your brother," he snorted, indicating Ron by nodding his head towards his direction, "rushed me. When he found out that we were late for breakfast…." They both laughed.

"Well, it's set for the day before Christmas break."

Harry knew why he felt that strange feeling of déjà vu. It was because this almost exact moment _had_ happened before; he remembered asking Cho out the previous term.

"Will you go out with me?" he blurted out, and he felt so stupid doing so. It made him feel like ripping his tongue out and going into hiding for the next fifty years – no, wait, the next fifty _centuries_. Ginny smiled, and looked like she was trying to repress a giggle, which made Harry a bit uneasy.

"Well you see, Harry," she began, "even if I did kiss you last night, it doesn't mean we're going out or anything. I mean, it was just a little kiss. It wasn't anything serious, now, was it?"

"Oh." Harry felt himself going red. Was he expecting so much? Did he expect Ginny to like him as much as he liked her? He felt like a complete amateur at the whole going out thing – not to mention he felt like a complete dunderhead. Just then, Ginny laughed.

"I'm s-s-sorry, Harry," she said, gasping for air between laughs, "b-but I c-c-couldn't h-h-ha, ha, ha," Ginny was laughing hysterically now, and Harry felt himself going even redder, "I couldn't h-help it! I j-just wan-wanted to s-see your reaction if," she gasped for air, "if I said no. Of course I'll go out with you, you blockhead!" She rumpled his hair endearingly.

Harry laughed along with her, but it was mostly due to relief. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from the pit of his stomach because he just successfully asked Ginny Weasley out.

"Andy!" Harry heard a voice from beside Ginny. Sophie stood, and Harry saw a boy talking to her. He looked awfully familiar – he looked like Oliver Wood, actually.

"Guys," she gushed, so un-Sophie-like, "this is Andrew Wood. He's a seventh year."

Andrew waved at everyone, and for some reason, Harry felt this unsettling sensation in the pit of his stomach.

"I met Miss Sophie at the ball last night, and my, was she stunning!" he said, taking Sophie by the hand and twirling her. It was then that Harry noticed that Andrew was really, really tall; Sophie was Harry's height, and Andrew was a head taller than she was.

"Andrew is Oliver's younger brother," Sophie told them.

"Merlin, are you really?" asked Ron. "Oliver was our best keeper."

"Yeah, he was. Plays for Puddlemere United now, though. Pity he had to graduate." He had the same Scottish accent that Oliver had; in fact, it was as if this _was_ Oliver!

"I haven't been much of a Quidditch fanatic myself," continued Andrew, "I mean, I love to watch the matches, and I can fly – that's a talent that's been in our family for ages – but I prefer the arts. I love to draw and paint, like the lovely Sophie right here." And true enough, Harry noticed that Andrew's skin was not as tanned as Oliver's was (mainly due to Quidditch) and when he saw his fingers, they were pale and slender – not at all callused like Oliver's or Ron's – and covered with paint smudges that suggested that he was painting just moments ago.

"Well, I think we'll be going now," Sophie said, smiling widely. "Oh, and Harry," she looked at him, "Occlumency lessons. Tonight. Around," she looked at Andrew, consulting him. Andrew just shrugged, clearly saying "hey, you decide." "Hmmm, perhaps eight thirty? Are you okay with that?"

"Er, alright," Harry said.

"Great. We'll be going now. Bye!" Sophie waved at everyone, and put her arm around Andrew's waist as he put his around her shoulders.

"Erm, are they going out?" asked Ron and Harry at the same time. Harry looked at Ron who shrugged, indicating that he had no clue at all. Of course, the reaction from the girls was practically expected; Hermione hit Ron's nape, while Ginny smacked herself on the forehead.

"Well are they!" Ron asked, massaging the spot where Hermione hit him. Harry, however, didn't ask. He just realized something.

In his dream, one of the Death Eaters was assigned by Voldemort to _seduce_ Sophie. It looked like she was very much smitten with Andrew Wood, and Harry felt worried for her. He didn't trust Andrew so much; he felt that Sophie deserved someone else. Just as these thoughts were running through his mind, he felt his scar twinge. Putting the remainder of his toast in his mouth and swallowing it whole, he stood, and without saying anything, left to look for Sophie.

He was probably unaware of it, but he was running. Running towards an unknown destination. It was as if his feet were going to take him to wherever Sophie was, doing Merlin-knows-what with Andrew. When he was running, it was as if he was only subconscious – it was as though he lost all reason; he felt as though he could do nothing sane… it was as if something in him just snapped! He had no idea why he felt this way… he knew not why thinking of Sophie with Andrew Wood was enough to provoke him to lose all mental normalcy.

He was fully supraliminal again when he found himself at the Gryffindor common room entrance, and realized that the Fat Lady had been asking him for the password for the past three minutes.

"Steamy Nights," he said; the Fat Lady had changed the password just two nights ago; he vaguely remembered Hermione talking to Ron about it. When he entered, only one person was found inside – with good reason; it was a beautiful day, and nobody in their right minds would spend it indoors. Except, of course, for Alexander Volkova.

He was the only one in the common room. He was reading a novel, quietly leafing through its pages. Harry stood for a moment, panting; it was only then that he realized how fast he was running and how tired it had made him, and though he was naturally speedy, he ran above his normal rate.

When he finally began to breathe more or less normally, he sat next to Alexander, a boy who he was beginning to regard as his younger brother. "Hey," he said, looking at the younger boy.

"Hello," replied Alexander, quite pleasantly, though not taking his eyes off his book.

"What're you reading?"

"The Count of Monte Cristo. It's by Alexandre Dumas, if I am not mistaken. I think it was my father's favorite book, and it's quite possible that I was named after its author, though I could be wrong." He closed the book and looked at Harry. "What are you doing indoors on such a lovely day like this?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same question?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I decided to do a bit of reading. You didn't answer my question, however."

"Well, I was looking for your sister."

"Sophia's upstairs with Andrew Wood; don't go up unless you want to see a very unpleasant sight." Alexander shuddered, a look of disgust distorting his features that were very much like his sister's. Unable to say anything else, Harry decided to start a conversation.

"She hates it when you call her Sophia, you know."

"Yeah. I have no idea why, though. It _is_ her name. Why were you looking for her, anyway." Harry felt the young boy's brotherly concern, and as he looked into the dark eyes that were not at all unlike Sophie's, he knew that he could trust the first year.

"You see, last night, I had a dream," began Harry. He began the retelling of the dream, and Alexander listened on, bearing no reaction and having no change of expression. Once he was through with his account of the dream, Alexander shifted and silenced for a while. After a few minutes, in which Harry was so sure (though he knew not how he knew) that Alexander was thinking, the younger boy finally spoke.

"Harry, don't you think that the dream you had was, well, just a dream?"

"But my dreams aren't normal dreams! They never have been!"

"Except the one you had about Sirius. Now," Harry was about to say something, but Alexander refused to allow him to do so, "maybe this wasn't an ordinary dream. And maybe Voldemort does have some way of baiting you. But don't you think that it'd be stupid of him to try the same trick _twice? _He never does that. My mum and dad defied Voldemort twice, but the situations were not the same. You defied him four times, but the circumstances were all different. Voldemort is smart enough to know that people are smart. He knows that if he tries the same trick twice, his target will not fall for it a second time. Maybe…"

"Maybe what?"

"Never mind. I have to consult Sophia first. She might know…" He trailed off. "Well, I have to get going. Professor Flitwick gave us half a foot on the levitation spell. Y'know, Wingardium Leviosa." Harry smiled as he remembered, with a hint of nostalgia, when Ron and Hermione bickered about that spell. Alexander picked up his novel, and he was nearly out of the portrait hole when Harry decided to thank him.

"Er, thanks," he said, loud enough so that the other boy could hear.

"No problem. I suggest you talk to my sister about it. She knows better than I."

"I will, thanks."

Harry did take Alexander's suggestion, and that night, Harry told Sophie all about his dream. As with Alexander, there was a few moments' silence, wherein Sophie was thinking about the dream.

"Harry, I think the dream was just, well, you know, a dream."

"How do you know?"

Harry was irritated when her response was like that of Alexander; he was hoping that someone had some other explanation. "Because Voldemort never tries the same trick twice."

"He might!"

"Harry, don't jump to conclusions. I hate to remind you of a painful memory, but someone _died_ the last time you jumped to conclusions, and no, it was not the bad guy."

"But if I do what I feel is right, maybe this time the bad guy _will_ die."

"Apparently you haven't learned from what had happened to you before! If you don't learn from the past, it is bound to repeat itself! Harry, I sense fear. What is it that you're so afraid of?"

Harry was beginning to get more irritated by the minute. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, the world's fate rests on my shoulders, and I'm afraid of screwing it up! I'm afraid of _dying_, for goodness' sake!"

"Well, Harry, if you have plans of being afraid, you might as well join Voldemort."

This caused Harry to feel such anger, and though he was slightly aware that he could fly off the handle, he did nothing to stop it. He felt himself shaking with fury, and he wasn't even aware that he was already standing up.

"That's great. Supremely wonderful. I'll team up with Voldemort so that together, we can conquer the world and kill all the Muggles. What in Merlin's name is _this _supposed to be, huh? Just because your fate and everyone else's fate rests on me, doesn't mean I can't be afraid! Last time I checked, I was still human! WHY IS IT THAT I CAN'T BE HUMAN ANYMORE!"

Sophie also stood up, and her anger was almost tangible. She was practically shaking with fury, but Harry didn't care. "YOU'RE NOT BEING HUMAN, YOU'RE BEING AN IDIOT, THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE!"

An idiot, huh? So that's what she thought… "SO _I'M_ AN IDIOT! WANTING TO SAVE PEOPLE'S LIVES IS IDIOTIC, THEN, HUH?"

"IT IS WHEN YOU'RE NOT CONSIDERING THE REASONABLE EXPLANATION THAT I'M GIVING YOU! YOU'RE PUTTING MORE LIVES IN DANGER IF YOU CONTINUE PLAYING THE GOD DAMNED HERO!"

People started coming out of their dormitories; first years looked quite anxious, while the older students looked quite excited. It was obvious that the gossip pump would be incredibly full the next day.

"I THINK I WOULD HAVE NOTICED! I MEAN, SIRIUS DID DIE BECAUSE OF ME, DIDN'T HE? OH RIGHT, I DON'T THINK HE DID, BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE KEPT ON SAYING THAT _IT WASN'T MY FAULT!_"

"I DIDN'T SAY IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT! I ONLY TOLD YOU TO STOP WALLOWING IN SELF-PITY!"

"I WASN'T PITYING MYSELF! I SUFFERED A BLOODY LOSS! MERLIN, I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT! YOU'VE SUFFERED LOSS AS WELL!"

"THAT LOSS DOESN'T HAUNT ME STILL, THOUGH!"

"WHAT THE EFFING HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!"

"WELL, GEE, HARRY, I DON'T THINK THAT YOU'D BE SO DEATHLY AFRAID OF THIS DREAM IF YOU JUST LEARNED FROM YOUR LESSON! BUT _NO,_ YOU'RE FAMOUS HARRY POTTER! THE BOY-WHO-BLOODY-LIVED! _YOU_ CAN'T TAKE ADVICE FROM A MERE MORTAL SUCH AS MYSELF! WELL, I'M SORRY PAL, BUT IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO ME ANYWAY, I THINK I SHOULD JUST STOP! BLOODY HELL, I QUIT!"

Harry felt the strongest sure of anger, and, for some odd reason, words that he didn't mean kept spilling out of his mouth. "I know why you're doing this," he said in a quiet, menacing tone – quiet enough so that only the two of them could hear, "you just don't want to believe that your precious _Andy_ is a Death Eater!"

Sophie looked as though he had hit her. She looked in his eyes, and for a split-second, she looked shocked – almost frightened. But this quickly disappeared, and when she spoke, it was in the coldest, most menacing voice that Harry had ever heard in his life.

"Leave Andrew out of this," she said, fixing him with a piercing glare that just made Harry sick to his stomach. "You have absolutely no right to bring him into our argument." She was still glaring at him, and Harry felt as though he wanted to vomit. It was as if his energy was depleting. He needed to get away from her – and quick!

So he ran.

He ran as fast as he could, up the dormitories, ignoring the first years' frightened looks and dodging the seventh years' questions. He nearly bumped into Alexander, who looked frightened; Harry was sure it was not because of the argument, because the young boy looked into his eyes and had the same expression that Sophie had for just a split-second. When Alexander went to his sister, Harry ran even faster, and stopped just at the entrance of his dormitory.

He went to the mirror on the wall and looked at his eyes, wondering what they were scared of. He looked at them, and they looked normal. But then, he also began to feel normal. Confused, he just sat on his bed, and without changing or taking off his glasses, lay in it, almost instantly falling asleep.


End file.
